Editor's note: Geek Out! posts feature the latest and most interesting in nerd-culture news. From sci-fi and fantasy to gadgets and science, if you can geek out over it, you can find it on Geek Out! Look for Geek Out! posts on CNN's SciTech blog.

There are many, many questions still out there about "Lost," some which were answered vaguely, many that are "up for interpretation," shall we say... and the series finale itself raised some questions as well.

Here are just five of the frequently asked questions about the way the show ended, and my best educated guesses on the answers:

Q: Did all the characters die in the original plane crash?
A: No. Going by what Christian Shepard told Jack (and the fact that the final scene showed Jack's death), everyone died at different times, some on the island, others many years later. In the case of Hurley and Ben, it would appear that they died after perhaps thousands of years protecting the island, like Jacob, based on their exchange about being a great number one and number two.

Q: Why didn't Ben go into the church? Why was Penny there? Where were Michael and Walt?
A: It would seem that Ben, despite knowing the truth about purgatory (that's what we'll call it here, anyway), chose to stay there a little longer as a father figure to Alex. Desmond and Penny weren't on the plane, but Desmond brought all these people together, and Penny was the reason he "let go" and had a connection to everyone else there.

Michael's ghost is presumably still on the island, whispering. Walt either wasn't ready to "let go," or already has, which brings us to the next question...

Q: Why were people the age/state they were in purgatory? Why did Aaron have to be born again, for example?
A: One presumes that Aaron lived a long full life, but he had to be born in purgatory for Claire to "let go." Everything that people needed to "let go" was there for them if they were willing to accept what had happened to them.

The sixth season premiere actually implied that Rose might have been trying to help Jack "let go" while on the plane, and she said those words to him herself (this scene was replayed on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" special after the finale). This might also partially explain why Walt wasn't in the finale, as most people in purgatory would remember him as a kid, not the teenager that the actor (and character, when Locke last saw him) is today.

Q: What was that light/"source" on the island after all? How did that cork get there? What were those skeletons below the waterfall?
A: For those looking for concrete answers, this could be the most frustrating question of all. Last year, executive producer Damon Lindelof told E! Online, "I feel like you have to be very careful about entering into Midi-Chlorian territory (referring to the oft-maligned Star Wars Episode I)... But 'What is the Island?' That starts to get into 'What is the Force?' It is a place. I can't explain to you why it moves through space-time—it just does. You have to accept the fact that it does."

The "source" is whatever you interpret it to be. In "Across the Sea," it was implied that Jacob and the Man in Black's Mother was not the first protector of the island, and that many people have been there and have dealt with the light or "source" while they were there. The Dharma Initiative is just one example of that.

The skeletons and the cork are likely representations of people who were there before the Mother even got there.

Q: Did Ajira Flight 316 return to the mainland safely? We saw the wreckage of a plane during the end credits.
That was the wreckage of Oceanic 815, which I would interpret as further confirmation of Jack saying, "There are no shortcuts, no do-overs – what happened, happened. All of this matters."

The plane did crash, they did land on that island, and the "flash-sideways" was only a "do-over" in the heads of the crash survivors and others. One can assume that Kate, Sawyer, Claire, Richard, Miles and Lapidus all landed safely and went on with their lives.

And speaking of moving on with our lives, here was Lindelof's final "Lost"-related tweet before going to an "undisclosed location:" "Remember. Let go. Move on. I will miss it more than I can ever say."

There is no doubt in my mind that this series and this finale will continue to resonate and be debated for years to come. And that's exactly the way the makers of "Lost" wanted it.

Share your final thoughts on "Lost," not to mention my interpretation of the finale's big questions, in the comments below.

Share this on:

We recommend

From around the web

Art Marco

May 25th, 2010 1:58 pm ET

How It Should Have Ended

What an absolutely stupid ending for such an intelligent series. It was perfect up until the last 10 minutes or so. Here is how it should have ended. When Desmond pulled the plug and the island started to self destruct, it also should have started moving back in time. Next seen, the jet backing out of its spot on the island preparing to take off then a white flash and the jet vanishes. Then the wreckage of flight 815, flash, vanish. The Dharma village, flash vanish. The Black Rock, flash, vanish. Then the birth of Jacob and his brother, flash, vanish. Then, Jack smiling as the island falls apart around him because he knows he's headed back to his seat on flight 815. (The turbulence the plane hit at the moment that it would have crashed but didn't in the flash sideways) Last seen, Jack and Kate when they kissed and remembered. After all, the flash sideways was all about what would have been if the island never existed. They had the perfect ending and didn't know it!!!

The finale was soooo anti-climactic. I guess you cant please everyone all the time, but the writers totally left the Lost faithful that were more into the sci-fi aspect, in the dark. We werent even thrown a bone. So I feel the finale was a success to many, but a failure to so many.

Right on the money. Great explanation and acknowledgement of Lost's unanswered or unaddressed questions. My biggest disappointment was their explanation (or lack of) for the magic golden light in a pool with a cork. As a kid my dad told me if I he unscrewed my bellybutton my butt would fall off. Guess the "cork" was the world's bellybutton. But that doesn't begin to explain why the world needs a cork or what the golden light is. It doesn't explain why the Man in Black would turn into a weird black smoke monster or why if he got off the island the world would end.

Not to slam the writers, but they turned the cave into a magic mystery box where all the issues they had to address (but couldn't) were stuffed inside and the unsatisfactory answer came out the other end. The cave was a cop-out, and as good as the writing was over the years with a few exceptions they could have done better. I give the entire series a "B" grade due to the way they wrapped it up. Still loved most of it and am glad I was along for the ride.

Thank you for putting this clearly. I agree with everything and can't seem to figure out why so many people think they were dead all along, (even some online articles implied this). The only thing I would add is that Ben, in addition to wanting more time with Alex, was not ready to let go because of all the terrible things he has done, and isn't sure how he'll be judged. When Hurley said he was a great number 2, and Locke said he forgives him for killing him, and Ben replied you don't know how much that helps, it was because he is still coming to terms for the sins he has committed.

The finale sucked and I can’t help but believe that the people that liked it are just trying to justify all the hours of their lives spent watching Lost as not wasted. So we are supposed to be satisfied that they all met again after they all died? That could be thousands of years in our future when Hurley died – Jacob lived for a long long time. So they had to wait for Heaven until then?

The flash sideways was purgatory? Really? Hurley enjoyed his sideways life. Jack had a son! His son didn’t matter to him at the end? Julia had a better life as did Sawyer, but Kate was still a criminal and so was Sayeed. Did Jin and Sun really need to be kidnapped and shot? Did Desmond need to run over Locke? Half the characters just knew where to go after their revelations – why didn’t that happen to Locke? Heck, he rolled himself to the church anyways. What a bunch of hoopla.

Throughout the series we received no better explanation for the survival of the island and the stopping of the man in black than, “It’s all over for us.” I almost accepted Jack’s move to faith as a justifiable explanation until the very end at the church. What a giant leap to make us believe that the flash sideways was purgatory and only happening until they all died and could ride to Heaven together.

The list of unanswered questions is long and the final “explanation” is an overreaching cop out.

How should it have ended, with all the writing staff being set alight and thrown out of a plane to some unknown island in the middle of the pacific. Annoyed? I'm furious. Lost was a show where the entire premise hung on the ending. The answers were supposed to be coming, so where the hell are they. Absolute toilet water of the lowest order. To add insult to poor writing, it was played out like it's significant. Lost has been on a steady decline from about season 2, but this season has been just plain abysmal. Characters were 1 dimensional at best, it was overly emotional and so self indulgent. The sceptic in me thinks this non-ending was simply done to boost the sales of the "I'm sure it's going to happen" Blu Ray box set with chronological order play option. Personally I think JJ Abramms owes a lot of people at least 121 odd hours of their life back.

You have to walk the suspention bridge of disbelief to understand lost. my take is the Island is a gatway to Hell/Pergetory. Case in point: the mother told the twins they should never go in the light cave because it would mean a fate worse than death. Jocab explained it to Richard telling him releasing the cork would mean releasing evil. Jacob was able to time travel and move the island using the wheel. this is how the polar bears ended up there and how he was able to set up his elaborate plan to kill smokey. The island was a place between the spirit realm and the physical, which would explain its properties. The smoke monster was either the devil or a demon released by the hatred in Jacobs brother heart. He wanted to leave but he had to be human to leave. Jacob would have killed the MiB but the mother made it impossible. That's probably the MiB turned into smoky after Jacob bashed his head. Jack was able to do it because he was no longer the island protector nor was the island capable of rendering the MiB invincible.

I'm ok with the ending however I would now like to see another series that deals with the "Island" in the years prior to Jacob and MIB and during the years from their birth to the present day. Sounds like another great series to me. All new actors and characters. There are still alot of unanswered questions with many story lines to be told.

Another early literary reference in Season 2, Locke in the hatch looking for Dharma movies, comes across the book An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Obvious in some ways, yes, but the series can be explained (to the extent it needs to be) with the notion that in the last nano seconds of life, Jack's life flashes before him, and he fantasizes about the possibility of living, so in flash he imagines falling safely onto the proverbial tropical island with the images of those seated immediately around him, of becoming the ultimate hero–starting with the run from the bamboo and saving crash survivors and culminating with defeating evil and saving life on earth itself (Total Recall anyone?)–and imagining how he could fix his life back home would he ever get there (having a son) with all its fits and starts and frustrations (doesn't work relationship-wise). These people become important to Jack because in the last seconds of life he uses their existence (real or imagined) to provide a vehicle for him to construe life in a way that allows him to accept the death of his father and himself. As soon as he accepts he is dying, he is dead. Maybe his nano second of semi-consciousness was during his fall through the air. Other passengers have similar nano-second flashes. After all, your plane is over the Pacific and what else do you imagine but landing on an island with all the people around you . . . take it from there. So, no purgatory, no one was dead, but just in the last glimpses of consciousness. All the mythology is a genuine projection of culture and the meaning of existence because that is what folks consider in dying moments. Why these people–because they are lost and in the last moments of life and consciousness they struggle to create a reality where they can accept "what comes next."

I feel cheated! I knew that all my questions couldn't possibly be answered in 2 hours. I guessed they were in purgatory from about season 3. But I wanted to know more about the little things. Was the black smoke the Devil? Why were there polar bears there? Was it an Island visible to the living or was everyone dead? If it was purgatory then where were the Heroin couriers from the plane? How come Mr.Eco, AnnaLucia and other important characters were left out? When they were in "the real world" could they be seen?

I think it would be none to difficult to write something where by the end of each episode you were left hanging...the intelligent thing to achieve would to answer it all by the end. But no! We're all sitting here with questions.

hmmm, I read some of the comments. I think the mother needed the babies so that they could watch the island. there's no telling how long she had been there so when MiB killed her she thank him because she was ready to die. remeber richard convinced jacob to be proactive about protecting the island. before that no one left. the old lady had to kill their mother otherwise she would not have let them stay.

I feel about the ending of Lost about as annoyed as Richard/Ricardo was when Jacob died without ever giving him the promised answers. We've been waiting 6 years to find out the big meaning behind everything, only to find out that they don't even know, and never intended to tell us. Cop out!

For those who believe the Island was purgatory you have to believe the "flash side ways" was a purgatory within purgatory, which doesn't make a whole lot of sence and is extremely redundant. The writer's intended for the series to be left up to interpretation. That's what good writing is. Those who didn't like it either didn't understand the nuances of the series or just didn't watch the series in it's entirety. I thought it was really well done and was completely satisfied with the ending.

A poetic finale, but unsatisfying to the viewers who spent years of their lives being challenged with questions that were not answered at all:

1 – Numbers: ok, I get it, each number was related to one candidate. So what? Why were they important for Dharma? And why they made Hurley a lottery winner.
2 – Walt – why was he special? And why was he showing up to other people as Shannon and Locke if he was not dead?
3 – Healing – how can the island cure cancer and paralysis and at the same time Ben had cancer when he was there.
4 – Why do the pregnant women lose their babies? Electromagnetism? The way time passes by in the island?
5 – Who was "Mother"and why she killed Jacob's mom?
6 – Why was MIB portrayed as evil if all he wanted was to leave the island?
7 – Why did the MIB become the smoke monster and Jack was not hurt by the light?
8 – What happen to Sayid when the folks in the temple put him in the water?
9 – Who were the Others? (if the MIB's tribe was all killed and so was Dharma initative merbers)?
10 – What was Widmore's obsession with the island – just because he was banned? Did he have good or bad intentions?

In my mind. the writers came up with the flashsideways this season because they did not have enough content for a whole season, and in the end decided for an easy solution – one in which they did not have to answer important questions and just use faith as a perfectly flexible answer that would give the viewers the option to create the ending they wanted.

I'm OK with the ending. No, we will never figure out what might have happened if the Man in Black got off the island. I don't think the writers were obligated to go there. He was defeated. After the cork was pulled, all deals were nullified, and Jack was able to kill him. The cork was replaced, and the Island continues to hold together.

Also, I think Walt and Michael were not in the church, because they never really belonged to the rest of the group. They never connected emotionally. They left when they had the chance. They never returned like the Oceanic 6. Michael did come back on the freighter, but he never reached the island.

I do have a few other questions, though.

1. What is the purpose of the cork? To hold the Island together or to keep Brother there? Jacob seemed to think it was the latter. If so, then what is the purpose of the cork during Hugo's term? (or prior to Jacob's term for that matter?)

2. Why didn't Jack turn into smoke? Perhaps Desmond was immune, because he was the "failsafe". Maybe Jack was safe because he had been "changed" by Jacob.

3. If Jacob's touch protected the candidates, then how did Jin and Sun die? Maybe because they were off island.

4. What was with Eloise? Did she know what was going on? Was she a part of the "created" world – if so, how could she have insight into what Desmond was doing? Maybe she was one of the gang, but, like Ben, was choosing to stay behind.

5. From much earlier – Why was Ben having Sayid kill people during the Oceanic 6 return? Who were they and what did they have to do with the story? Maybe they were involved in the Oceanic 815 coverup, but why would Ben care?

The meaning was not a cope out. It was about redemption. Jacob picked the survivors for a purpose. He created the moster and after realizing he couldn't protect the island forever, he put events in motion to kill it. Jacob was a watcher. He versed himself in the ways of the island and figured out how to fix the problem he created for himself. In the process he helped the survivors that he touched (physically) to reconcile the flaws in their lives.

Wow lillyloop... I wasn't pleased with the ending either and I loved LOST, but your reaction is a little extreme. The writers were still incredibly creative and in my opinion still brilliant. I am sure that ending the show the way they did was an intentional decision, not a cop-out. I agree that the LOST faithful kind of hung out to dry, but there is no need for a "boycott." If your life is that heavily involved and dependent on a TV show they maybe that's saying something.

So you just watched 6 seasons of Lost. And the only thing they explained in the end was what the season 6 "flash-sideways" meant. That it was purgatory.

So no explanation of what the island is, what the struggle between good an evil represented, how you traveled through time, etc. etc...

What a lame cop out.

These explanations people are coming up with are like horoscopes. They can apply to anybody or anything. "you are a good person but you are sometimes frustrated by life. You've experienced loss but you have learned."

By the way, remember what you are thinking right now about Lost. Particularly if you are defending the ending.

Because over time, comedians are going to make fun of it and ridicule Lost. And at some point in the future you are going to say; "yeah, I was disappointed in the Lost ending too." Don't cop-out. Stick to your guns. If you can defend it, defend it. But history is going to show – you are wrong.

The numbers represented the people whom jacob physically touched. It protected them from being killed by smokey. The Kwans were killed by Sawyer when he blew the bomb. The purpose of the cork was to keep evil bottled in (jacob explained this to richard). Eloise knew what Desmond was doing in the flashsideways because she like the others had already died. The difference is she recognized she was in purgatory and didn't want Desmond to "take" her son.

Everybody wants to be a writer and write their own ending to this brilliant show. Give it a rest. Respect Lindelof and Cuse and respect THEIR story. I for one think it's a great ending to a great series. Very appropriate and food for thoughts (and much debates and arguments, like this one) for a long time...

@ Mike lol, who cares... the comedians pick on the death of other people. Seriously just because people feel strongly about an interpretation now doesn't mean they will feel like idiots about it once people start to scrutinize it with punchlines. Look at religion.

Lilliloop, Mike, others, I get your disappointment. Not sure I "defend" it entirely, but here's an argument in favor of the virtue of The End and whole series: it is a brilliant character study from the perspective of the autobiography, a man's reflection on himself and his world in the last dying synapse firings of life, what he imagines about himself, what the future could have been, and the challenges he imagines he could overcome to resolve life's conflicts in order to be able to move on. (See my post above.) Look, even if for purposes of "the show," the Island is real and people are not dead, surely it is an impossible fictional story, of course! No one falls from airplane and survives without a scratch, let alone has their paralysis cured. So, what have the writers given you? An imaginary world from the perspective of someone plummeting to their death yet trying to make sense of themselves and the world It's complicated by psychological denial and the average fallibilities of man, and the urge to image a world where they would overcome the inevitable fate in a far-out, fantastical manner. In the end it is about knowing yourself and finding peace with who you are as you are (give up the fantasy that you have son, Jack, it never happened, but you are okay) so you can move on. Beautiful in its own way, and far deeper than things like, "gee, we never found out why Jack didn't turn into smoke."

Much of the Lost narrative was told from an omniscient perspective. The writers and producers claimed to have knowledge of the entire mythology and created questions to tantalize viewers into watching. In the end, the producers made it clear that they were not to blame for all of the questions that arose in the narrative. No, the viewers were to blame for asking all of the questions. The viewers were to blame–even though they didn't create the questions, and they were not the ones using the theme of questions being answered as a promotion for the show.

By doing this, Lost betrayed the trust of the viewer. The promotions of questions answered transformed into a defense of Lost being a character driven show. And yet I wonder if they answered all of the questions for the characters. They could have easily answered many questions for viewers–especially since there were several characters (Jacob, Mother, Desmond, Jack, Hurley, etc.) who seemed to possess some level of omniscience or at least possessed the knowledge required.

In the end, I was satisfied with the most of the resolution of the island narrative. However, the sideways world became one long con designed to be a means to "The End." None of it really mattered except the resolution.

And for a show that was so good at flashing forward and flashing back, the writers sure had a lot of trouble foreshadowing. The skeletons in the cave were a poor way to show viewers that the producers knew what was going on all along. It's not really foreshadowing if you don't meet both of the characters who turned out to be the skeletons until really late in the show.

While the finale provided some emotional closure, it neglected the emotion of curiosity that was aroused in viewers. In the end, Lost abused omniscience to its detriment. Apparently, the creators and producers are just as fallible as the demi-gods they created for the show.

Well said sanfran Mike. You have to be willing to walk the suspension bridge of disbelief to come up with explainations for the island. In the end you don't have all the answers. I like your interpretation though. I thought about that as well. Him reviewing his life and imagining how it could have been in the final moments is a great juxtaposition to my literal interpretation of the series. After all he had the same excat cut at the beginning as he did in the end.

So when they showed the island underwater at the start of season 6, was this the ultimate fate of the island however many thousands of years after Jack's death? If so, does that mean that humanity ended at some point due to the evil released when the cork was finally popped? If so, I wonder if this occurred on Hugo's watch or after. Maybe a series of feature films will explain this and all other unresolved issues. Afteral, Isn't JJ a huge Treky?

The story of lost has always been character driven which is why the ending was so good. The Island mythos is secondary and always has been. All the viewer needed to know was why the survivors were chosen by Jacob, which was sufficiently answered.

I thought the finale was exceptional and I disagree with the posts that the writers somehow deviated from their 6 years of brilliant treatments. In fact, I think this was one of the most – if not the most – brilliant of them all because they said with out saying and answered without answering – the metaphors did the talking and answering. The writing guided the heart and not the mind in this episode and for me it brought everything to completion. I re-watched the pilot after watching the last episode. Jack wakes up unable to hear and then begins his struggle to "let go" – in the final scenes (after an entire season which concentrates on everything that he (and others) had to let go of: relatoinship issues with wife and son, self esteem issues as a doctor, unwilling to let other people take charge – his inability to admit wrongdoing – he even let go of his antipathy towards John Locke and finally at the end resolving his daddy issues) he struggles back to the place where it all began and with a quick flash to the crashed plane he really goes to where it all ended although this time not as someone lost in his own life with unresolved issues causing him great bitterness and pain but as someone content with the life that he lived and the legacy he leaves behind. Thats my 2 cents. I say Bravo lost – thanks for a 6 year love affair.

What an ending it could have been so much better. Nothing was really explained only the fact they all died. Another thing why did the dog not go into the light aswell he was with Jack when he died.I know one thing im going to miss watching the show and especially SAWYEY what a hunk.

Just let go people! All these unanswered questions reflect the answered questions we have in life. Why do good people die of cancer at an early while others get to live on to be terriorist and murderers? Why do some mothers abuse and neglect their children while other women who want to be mothers can't have any? Why? Why? Why?

As Rose said " Just let go!". And for those complaining about wasting six years of their lives, you have plenty of time now do something worthwhile with your time. Are you going to? Yeah, thought so.

My partner and i were disappointed in the ending...yes we got the 'all die at various times and wait for those who died later to meet up and complete before walking into the light like Christian Shepherd' However we felt multiple questions were not answered...like funding ran out and LOST was to be killed off... sadly we expected expert finish to an expertly produced series...and got LOST in the unanswered questions.

For those who held onto the idea that this would actually make sense after the second/first season. Wow. I watched it for the scenery since then. You were lied to, strung along... and your pretty stupid for beleiving it when it was obvious it had no credible plot/ideas.

It was NOT real.......it was only the dieing moments of Jack's life.
In a NANO second Jack finally had his life and emotions realized thru all the characters. He actually knew and bumped into a few of them in the airport getting on the plane etc. His finally dieing moments in the bamboo were THE STORY. They all died.....there is no smoke monster...there is no Dharma. It was his DREAM / DIEING brain making the story real for the rest of us.

Dont read into this for answers or try to think of it in a linear straight line life story......its a DIEING STORY and coming to realize YOUR DEAD and give your life to something bigger and then LET GO.

None of it was real to anybody else...only Jacks mind made up the story to let go of life.
Try it sometime.....think I will right now........give up.
C U all in another life........brotha ! See U all in the church and light !

I wonder if the creators will write a book answering all of the detailed unanswered questions. So many people have them, it would be good to get complete closure. (How about a Hurley/Ben spinoff? haha)

I think the ending was great if you ignore everything that happened in the middle. In a way, overall it made sense. Everything that happened on the island happened. Everyone died, but at different points in time. I don't know why everyone was not in the church (Miles? Lapidus? I mean, c'mon, I'd prefer them over Boone), but at least it ended on a good note with everyone moving forward with the people whom they have a special bond with.

But it would've been nice to answer the detailed questions, especially since they relied so much on details in the first place.

Also thought it was cheap how they borrowed ideas from movies or other TV shows in this season:

Desmond telling others to let go so they could walk up to the light: Ghost Whisperer
Jack asking his father if he is dead: Sixth Sense
Plane taking off with the ground opening up: 2012
Cave with waterfall: Indiana Jones

That in my mind goes a bit beyond the typical funny lines that Hurley or Sawyer say paying tribute to movies or books.

Ok I think pergatory is the answer,the island is the playing board with good and evil forces,they all died in the crash and only the good went inside the church to heaven lead by "Christian" "shepherd",get it.
The last shot you see is a devastated plane wreckage showing no one survived this crash.
The whole thing was a test, ben was outside because even tho he has been good he's evil.
That's why Hugo sais in the jeep " no matter what you think your a good man"

phenomenal ending to an epic series. watched from day one and enjoyed tuesday nites for the last six years. i think the ending was well thought-out, answered questions and i believe what we dont understand or cant figure out was meant to end exactly the way it did. the writers are brilliant, the casting and acting was fantastic and i hope that some day, Lost can return to tv again. not a big tv watcher, not a fan of movies as i feel most of them are just a waste of time, but this surreal, spiritual (esque) series was a complete success and i enjoyed it thoroughlly. i dont think we'll ever experience another show like this again. too bad :(

Art, that would have been the worst ending possible. There was no other way to end LOST except to have Jack die where he started, have Vincent crawl next to him in comfort, and see the plane take off knowing that he secured rescue and that he would see them again eventually after he died, and finally his eyes close. I didn't think about it, but when I saw that ending it was perfect. Just because your theory was wrong doesn't make the ending bad.

lol, people want an explaination for everything in life. Use the prower of deduction and reason based on the facts you are given. Don't rely on people to tell you what to think. I guess in the end you can't make everyone happy. Lol, I know someone who thought Avatar was crap because they didn't explain why the world's Gaia was less apathetic to a synethic navi.

San Francisco Mike.......very good earlier post as well. But why are people still trying to make 6th Sense out of it ?.
IT NEVER HAPPENED........just like ending of Bob Newhart show many years earlier......only he woke up. This story....Jack dies slowing closing his eye. They said on LOST......NOBODY can survive the airliner crash of this magnitude. Jack just lived long enough for us to to see the light in his story. I havent giving up.......but will hang myself and turn to smoke tonite.....:) (or was that have smoke?)

I like how people are saying, "the finale was terrible, THIS is the way it should have ended...
YOU are not the writer, developer, producer, etc. of this show- you are simply a VIEWER!! You are allowed to agree or disagree with what is happening but you do not have the right to say THIS is the way it should have gone. If YOU think you can write a 6 season series and NOT make the finale slightly dissapointing then be my guest.
The show was absolutely incredible- for every second of it's 6 seasons. The finale didn't answer EVERY question, rather, it answered enough of them and gave you enough info to make some of your OWN conclusions...
Just be happy the show existed and happy they wrapped it up semi-nicely rather than focusing on all the negative crap.

maverick, sanfran mike and others who have misinterpreted the show listen up:
Jack was in a suit waking up in the bamboo in the pilot, he was in a t-shirt when he died in the end. They did the end to make a nice bookend and show Jack was the main protagonist who saved the world and died knowing his friends survivied, etc. The show officially ended when the LOST flashed on the screen, and the shots of the initial plane crash were for nostalgic purposes only showing where it all began. If you look closely, there were many many footprints and even a shelter and flag. It was made clear the island events were real, as Christian himself told Jack. The flash sideways in sesaon 6 was a purgatory of sorts before they could all move on.

Now that I think about it SanFran Mike may be completely correct. I read somewhere on the intertube that when jack looked up at the plane the wings were different from the wings of the plane they escaped on. They dismissed it as a blooper. It may have been another plane flying by in the same fight path. I have to watch it again.

OK, First of all I don't appreciate not being invited to the big finale and that goes for NIkki and Paulo too. I understand that I wasn't good enough to be part of "the place the front-enders put together" but why did Smokey have to cream me. I certainly wasn't a "candidate" so he apparently had nothing to fear, in fact, you would have thought Smokey would have been on my side because of my contempt for the writers...oops sorry don't want to break the fourth wall...Anyway I spoke to Kearney and he wants to know where he goes in the flashways since apparently you can be kiled...there must be a flash-sideways-sideways..and PS to Sayid..his brother still owes him $ so send cash from that place you all went or Nadia will be working off that debt...flash sideways....

1. Those footprints were from the rescue crew who came to pickup bodies. You didnt see any bodies in the wreckage right? Only the scrap metal plane on final shots.

2. Jack was dieing in a suit during the pilot.......the swapped T shirt was him dieng differently than he was flying in his mind.

3. Christian said what Jack "wanted" to hear......."it was real etc". It did make Jack feel better to let go. In his mind he did feel better hearing that.

4. The shack.......throw in to look like jungle hut.....maybe for rescue crew to get in out of the sun. Airline people going to pay big time for wreckage on island......kinda like BP oil people messing up the Gulf.

The finale sucked and I can’t help but believe that the people that liked it are just trying to justify all the hours of their lives spent watching Lost as not wasted.

___________

Believe what you want, but it is just that, a belief. It is not the truth. Many people here share a different view from you. Doesn't mean they are trying to justify anything. Maybe you are the one trying to justify something. Maybe, since you couldn't relate to it, you simply dismiss it and deny anyone else a right to feel about it the way they do.

Wow, so many comments from people who just don't get it.....
And for someone to say how another persons story should have ended is just ridiculous.... I guess we'll see Art Marco writing successful screenplays very soon...

I feel cheated! I knew that all my questions couldn't possibly be answered in 2 hours. I guessed they were in purgatory from about season 3. But I wanted to know more about the little things. Was the black smoke the Devil? Why were there polar bears there? Was it an Island visible to the living or was everyone dead? If it was purgatory then where were the Heroin couriers from the plane? How come Mr.Eco, AnnaLucia and other important characters were left out? When they were in "the real world" could they be seen?

I think it would be none to difficult to write something where by the end of each episode you were left hanging...the intelligent thing to achieve would to answer it all by the end. But no! We're all sitting here with questions.

It should have ended on series 3.
__________

How freaking stupid can people continue to be????? They were not in purgatory since season 3. That sidways universe, not shown until the premiere of season 6, was kind of purgatory, but not exactly.

The island was not purgatory. The island was an actual place where people really lived.

The polar bears, as have been explained seventeen million times to idiots who don't pay attention, were one of a number of things brought to the island by Dharma to study.

Do you ever retain one second's memory from any episode you have ever seen? GEEZ!

Eko could not work out a contract to appear in the finale. So what should the producers have done, in your mind?

Where do you get the idea that started in season 3??

Whatever you are smoking, get your money back. Your dealer gave you a bad batch.

ok maverick, so if everyone died in the initial crash then how did Jack survive the fall at all? Of course it is improbably anyone could survive such a crash, but the island is special. So if it was a normal island, and a normal crash, Jack would not have been dead long before he opened his eye in the bamboo.

Also, why would Jack even bother to create a purgatory for everyone without even knowing it until he imagined his father telling him? That makes absolutely no sense.

And I still maintain the show ended, as it has for every episode in the entire series, when LOST flashes on the screen. The credits scene was just meant to pay homage to where it all started, and if the footprints weren't the survivors, but those of a rescue crew, they would have left a more obvious sign of that.

It was NOT real.......it was only the dieing moments of Jack's life.
In a NANO second Jack finally had his life and emotions realized thru all the characters. He actually knew and bumped into a few of them in the airport getting on the plane etc. His finally dieing moments in the bamboo were THE STORY. They all died.....there is no smoke monster...there is no Dharma. It was his DREAM / DIEING brain making the story real for the rest of us.

Dont read into this for answers or try to think of it in a linear straight line life story......its a DIEING STORY and coming to realize YOUR DEAD and give your life to something bigger and then LET GO.

None of it was real to anybody else...only Jacks mind made up the story to let go of life.
Try it sometime.....think I will right now........give up.
C U all in another life........brotha ! See U all in the church and light !
___________

No less than the producers themselves have denied your theory.

Are they lying then?

Do you presume to inform the masses that you know a series better than the people who wrote it? That you are telling the truth and they are lying?

OK, First of all I don't appreciate not being invited to the big finale and that goes for NIkki and Paulo too. I understand that I wasn't good enough to be part of "the place the front-enders put together" but why did Smokey have to cream me. I certainly wasn't a "candidate" so he apparently had nothing to fear, in fact, you would have thought Smokey would have been on my side because of my contempt for the writers...oops sorry don't want to break the fourth wall...Anyway I spoke to Kearney and he wants to know where he goes in the flashways since apparently you can be kiled...there must be a flash-sideways-sideways..and PS to Sayid..his brother still owes him $ so send cash from that place you all went or Nadia will be working off that debt...flash sideways....
_________

The bamboo helped cushion his fall.......he only woke up from the shock....died from the bleeding wounds. As his LIFE FORCE went out of his eyes....the whole thing was dream sequence of events.

The rescue crew leaving more than footprints? What? Beer cans or plastic to wash into ocean? No....they picked up the black box and dead bodies and left the metal wreckage. Its possible..cause it would cost fortune to ship stateside. Maybe later.......next season?

The bamboo helped cushion his fall.......he only woke up from the shock....died from the bleeding wounds. As his LIFE FORCE went out of his eyes....the whole thing was dream sequence of events.

The rescue crew leaving more than footprints? What? Beer cans or plastic to wash into ocean? No....they picked up the black box and dead bodies and left the metal wreckage. Its possible..cause it would cost fortune to ship stateside. Maybe later.......next season?
_________

Get over yourself! That isn't what happened and the producers have clearly stated that.

What makes you think the producers are lying to everyone?

Please, enlighted us all! Why should we take *your* word over the word of the people who wrote and produced the show?

"Also, why would Jack even bother to create a purgatory for everyone without even knowing it until he imagined his father telling him? That makes absolutely no sense."
------------
I have a hard time wrapping my head around this aspect of that theory too.

To the naysayers, the people who wanted "all the answers" – One of the things I learned some years after High School English was in my rear view mirror was that the best authors – the ones that resonate for a very long time with readers – always leave holes. Thematic holes, plot holes, holes for you to fill in as a reader. Some people interpret the final story as a Christian allegory. Others as a spiritual allegory, independent of religion, emphasizing Faith. Others as a scifi epic, though the ending suggests that was not really the intent of the authors.

In any case, it is always, with any book, up to the reader to fill in the holes for themselves, and determine what the true meaning is for them.

Desmond said it early in that last Lost episode – "No one can tell you why you're here, Kate." It's one of the most important lines of the entire series – people look and look and look for "meaning" – most usually in the form of Religious (capitalization intentional) Enlightment in their lives, when it's actually all up to them to decide. They try to 'listen' for the 'secret code' that will make everything clear. But remember Jack and Sawyer? "So you're the new Jacob, huh? Feel any different?" "Not really." "Well, doc, how about you come down off the mountain top and tell us what the hell the burning bush had to say for itself."

You'd think Jack "Got It" – but nope, no shortcuts.

It was a great ending. Like the man said in the tweet: "Remember. Let Go. Move On."

Jackson..........WHY? Cause producers LIED in all interviews when they said it had nothing to do with faith.....religion....etc. They actually said it point blank....cause the public would tar and feather us.
Well look how it turned out.....
Now where is my blanket and coookies Frank Lupiedus?

I enjoyed the entire series of Lost, which became my favorite program from the first episode onward, and including the end which, as I predicted to my brother in advance, I knew was going to disappoint me, regardless of how it ended. There are no perfect endings, in life or on TV (okay, The Bob Newhart Show excepted). It surprises me how many fans (short for fanatics) actually came to think of the show as somehow representing some metaphysical or religious truth. It was just a TV show, people, not Moses on the mount! Enjoy it for what it was, an incredibly entertaining and thought-provoking series gifted with an amazing cast. I loved it, and my only regret is that it had to come to an end.

I think people are missing the point – THE FLASHSIDEWAYS TIMELINE was the afterlife, THE NORMAL TIMELINE was not the afterlife. Damon and Carlton were clear from the start of season six it was not a parralel universe, which it was'nt. I personally think the finale was incredible, we got 6 years of good v evil summed up and felt there was real closure on everyones storyline (except maybe Hurley and Desmond). The producers had made it clear from about season four that not all questions would be answered and they hinted it within the show during Across The Sea, when Mother quoted "all my answers will be met with more questions". I dont beleive the matters of time travel, electro-magnetism, ancient egypt, islands healing properties are particuarly important to the story th producers were trying to tell (it was a charatcer driven show after all). All i think is important is that they were present on the island. Ask yourself how are the writers going to explain time-travel and electro-magnetism when the worlds leading scientists cannot either, although it was a sci-fi show they wanted to always keep an element of realism involved which i think they did extremly well. And in spite of people feeling cheated of answers alot of the burning questions from season one had been revealed; how locke got in his wheel chair, sawyers letter, Danielle Rosseua, the Whispers, why the Losties came to the island, why Kate was on the run, what caused the plane to crash, the hatch (note how many were answered years before season six). In terms of the afterlife twist i honestly beleive it was a touch of genius from Damon and Carlton; ever since the shows conception people had been theorising about purgatory to which the producers have denied. Many seem angered by the fact that the shows big twist was purgatory and that the characters they have grown to love over six seasons are dead. But as i mentioned before i really beleive the point is being missed. Yes they're all dead but they are not dead from the point of the crash, they have not been dead for 6 seasons and they did not all die at the end of the finale. Christian Shepard stated that everyone has to die and that the sideways time line had no now or where, meaning it merely existed. So Jack died in 2007, Bonne died 2004, we can assume Kate, Sawyer and Clare live to old age and im guessing Hurley will now live for thousands of years, like Jacob. Therefore the purgatory twist, did not cheat veiwers of 6 years viewership, it may have done if the storyline we had been following since 2004 had been purgatory but it was not. It was a storyline we have been following for a season, which i personaly hated before the twist was revealed. So if anything for me the big twist ending did not ruin the end for me but rather saved what i felt had been a genreally poor last season

Oh, all these "I-know-better-than-lost-writers" people! its quite easy to moan and complain really...but i bet if you were given the chance to write the finale, no matter how u explained all the mysteries and stuff, u would still find people not satisfied with your ending!
People would still try to find even the slightest little thing they are not happy about.
Well, what if all the questions about those mysteries and mythologies in the island were explained in the finale by the lost writers, are you all assured you would be happy with the answers?
Think about it. ;-)

I think history will judge this to be a top 3 series finale from now until the end of time. I didn't see a LOST episode that first season until trapped by a snow day. Those 2 or 3 episodes I saw that day hooked m; I didn’t see the pilot until the DVD came. However, from the beginning this has been a series about 'rules', the producers clearly stated those rules to each of us. It’s your choice to live by them or not, if you decide not to, then you have no reason to complain. If you look at the series in its entirety, it arc came around to complete a full circle, a lot like life. And if you listen to every moment of the final season, it started and ended with telling us it was time to 'Let go', It also counseled us that every answer would result in only more questions. I have hoped since seeing that last scene, the flash sideways finish wasn't created just to appease the rabid fans, the producers stuck to their guns. Now, two days later I resolute in obeying the rules of the series and following this season's theme of 'Letting go'; The show's finally words tell us where we go for here: "Let’s go find out"

The perfect ending would have been for Phineas and Ferb to show up, build a giant catapult and shoot everyone back to the mainland. Then Locke could ask Phineas "Aren't you a little young to be time traveling, to which Phineas would respond "Well, yes, yes I am"...

The producers don't "owe" us more answers. Does George Lucas owe us an explanation of The Force? Do vampire movies owe us explanations of the physiology of vampirism? That's fanboy hyperventilation, not storytelling. Lost always was about characters and how they related to each other as they came to terms with difficult, often improbable situations. And the finale summed up that coming to terms. You can like it or not, that's your choice. But nobody gypped you of anything you were owed.

purgatory is here and now...so get a life all of you out in TV land....you will want all of that time back that you sat in front of the TV....when you are drawing your last breath...get out and live your own adventure....not someone elses.

I was hugely into the scientific aspects of the show and was quite happy with the end. I'm happy the writers didn't go into mind-numbing detail about the exact nature of the glow, trusting that people smart enough to care would be able to figure it out from the clues given.

Basically while it was old and made of stone, it seemed to me that the "source" was a naturally occurring reactor. Some ancient people (or whatever) had apparently figured out how to limit the harmful aspects of the reaction with a "control rod" (the plug) and a cooling system (water). There is evidence that natural reactors have occurred in the past (some place in Africa several million years ago) and my guess is this was something similar. While the African reactors were uranium powered (a reaction we understand) the source looks like it works in a way that we don't yet get.

Of course that's a theory. Even if I'm completely wrong, I'd rather have the speculation based on the clues I've been given than an 11th hour "Aliens did it!" or Daniel Faraday taking 15 minutes to explain the quantum mechanics at play. If you have a problem with questions that only lead to more questions or answers only coming in the form of tantalizing clues... then how did you survive this long as a Lost fan to even MAKE it to the finale?!?!

So many negative comments on Lost. For a show that made it's money on unanswered questions, I think it did pretty good in the end. I agree with the sage. There is a lot of moaning and complaining but not many offering some other spectacular alternative. Minus you Art, I like your ending idea, if I had a contact over at ABC, I'd send it to you : ) Maybe I was just spoiled with the way I experienced the series finale. I watched it at a club with 500 others. All after seeing this amazing tribute band 'Previously On Lost' play.
http://www.itsasickness.com/lounge/adam-and-jeff-are-obsessed-lost
All their songs are episode recaps. Pretty amazing and should cheer at least some of you up.

Writers did take the easy way out. It could have gone out on SciFi or mythological way....in anycase it did how the WOW ending that they all said we would talk about for days afterward. Everybody talks about wasting time watching?.......what else were you going to do with your life brotha? 120 hrs of watching who gets the red rose of love?

Jackson..........WHY? Cause producers LIED in all interviews when they said it had nothing to do with faith.....religion....etc. They actually said it point blank....cause the public would tar and feather us.
Well look how it turned out.....
Now where is my blanket and coookies Frank Lupiedus?
____________

It did not have to do with religion and faith, it had to do with love. That these people so loved each other that, after death, they would not move to on to whatever is after death, until they all met up again.

That isn't religion. After death does not have to mean any religion at all.

Stomp and kick and fuss and fume all you want.

You just didn't get it, because it wasn't wrapped up in the neat little bow *you* needed it to be for *yourself*.

Writers did take the easy way out. It could have gone out on SciFi or mythological way....in anycase it did how the WOW ending that they all said we would talk about for days afterward. Everybody talks about wasting time watching?.......what else were you going to do with your life brotha? 120 hrs of watching who gets the red rose of love?
_________

They could have chosen any one of a number of ways to end it. No matter what way they would have chosen, some would have liked it, and some wouldn't. That is the nature of this show.

Jackson – you are a rockstar- thanks for correcting everybody. You have no idea how annoyed it is to see everybody say oh they died, blah blah blah. If people would just stop and think and read what other people have said before they jump in and say the same thing.

And why are people still bringing up the Polar Bear? Really? Pay attention!

I watched the series and understand that not all questions will be answered. Happens in every book you read and every movie you see. It was a confusing ending, but we were able to figure it out. I have one question (that I think may never be answered), how was it that the Asian dude who headed up the temple people was able to keep the MIB/Smoke Monster from entering the temple area? It was only after his death that the Smoke Monster was able to kill everyone at the temple.

Otherwise, a great series unlike anything seen on TV. Thanks to all involved for the memories.

In the future, producers and writers of this type of series should not get caught up in the hype. If the story is a 4 season story, write the story to wrap up in 4 seasons rather than stretching it out to 6 seasons.

What was the deal with the man in black being pushed down the rabbit hole unconsciously, then being transforming immediately into the smoke monster. When Desmond's turn came, we saw that, in fact, the water did not lead to the central pool, but Desmond had to actually walk into it...

I think everyone is upset because for 6 seasons we thought the show was about the island and the characters were the side story and it turns out it's quite the opposite.

There are some Losties like Locke...they believe(d) in the island. It appears to be something greater than humanity. And those 'Lockies' keep banging on the hatch door for someone to give a detailed explanation about the island. And like Locke, you/us 'Lockies' will never find resolution with the show until you 'let go'.

Letting go means coming to the same conclusion as Jimmy Kimmel (and others) that the show was about the characters, specifically Jack, and the island was just a tool to tell his story. And, that's the show. Questions about polar bears, donkey wheels, and smoke monsters are irrelevant in this context.

The Oddyssey was written with tons of mythology (Sirens, Gods, Cyclops) but yet the story is about the journey of Odysseus.

its obvious they were inducted into the borg collective. the borg finally realized that if you bait humans with a bunch of heavenly claptrap they will jump into the trap like early christians to the lions..
over 6 years there were great moments but when i look back , the whole series was mainly about kate... her and the sock-puppet chang were the best.

Frank, Jackson, Maverick gconnection, et al. All the producers said was they were not all dead (true, they were in the last throes of consciousness) and that it was not purgatory (true again, for same reason). The show was not only the last few glimpses of consciousness for Jack, but for the other passengers too, that's why the show has multiple perspectives. Go youtube Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.

The ending was only good for catholics...what about the rest of us??
It looked like they had to come up with a super quick ending and didn't put any real thought into it, it just seems the likely predictable ending.

We're tired of the same old stuff.....and while I'm at it.... WRITERS: quit using the dang cell phone dying, dying flashlight batteries, and car won't start crap in movies, its so old and so annoying!!!

I was waiting for Haley Joel Osmont and Nicole Kidman to come out sand say "You're all dead, people." The writers must have loved "The Others" starring Nicole Kidman. "Lost" was kind of a 6 season version of that film. Loved it, nevertheless.

My God, you people – the biggest disappointment is not how the show ended, but how you "oh so loyal fans" have reacted to it. So many of you have provided us your own horrid cliched endings (and a good reason why none of you are TV writers and instead toil in the minimum-wage world), while a huge majority of you just complain about unanswered questions that aren't supposed to have answers! Not everything needs to be all tied up for God sakes! It was a show! Good job mnjoe on nailing art marco and his crap ideas.

Ridiculous story. Endless cliffhangers and an aimless plot. The whole premise of people running around like this after they die is absurd. The worst part is all the self agrandizment of this show by the producers and networks trying to make us believe this was a great series. Reminds me of the fable" The emperors new clothes". The only plus side of this show that kept my interest was the great acting and character development and the fact that we were as perplexed as the characters in the show and wanted to find out what was really happening. But we really never did. We were lead around like a donkey chasing a carrot on a stick. In a way, the writers made fools of us all.

I'm sick of all these people saying the island wasn't real... Okay, for the last time.. The island was REAL... That mysterious, disappearing island with it's smoke monster, weird magnetic field and cancer-and-other-ailment- curing properties, rich-yet-unknown to anyone- mythology and of course, lovable deities..... was all REAL!!! I really don't know what's so hard to believe about that. come on, people ;)

Luckily I didn't spend six years on the series, just a few months. For those like me it was the mystery of the island and its many enigmas that kept us watching. I never truly expected everything to be fully explained but I certainly think the writers could have given the viewers more into what empowered the island. I don't mind some need to reflect upon difficult concepts of a story but there needs to be a basis of understanding that can be reflected upon.

It is easy to defend the ending and it easy to abhor the ending but all in all the writers should have understood the range of their own show. Many people found the characters and their struggles at the heart of the show and many clung to the need to understand the island.

Throwing any one of these groups to the wolves was a mistake. They might as well have said that no one survived the 815 crash and the 6 seasons of the show was a near death hallucination by Jack before he died.

For every one who keep saying, "Let go," you've bought into the obtrusive message of the writers. They want you to let go so they don't have to answer the questions they created. They want you to let go because it absolves them. They think that if viewers ask questions, then the viewers are at fault. They're certainly not to blame.

If they didn't want us to ask questions, they shouldn't have used answers as a major promo for the show!

They all died in the crash, however, if you are a long fan and watch all the series. The only way it works is that they died IN the ocean. (flashback: the Oceanic was found at the bottom of the ocean with ALL passengers on board but the bodies were to deep to be recovered). If we are to believe that : this was limbo – using the news media information that the plane was IN THE OCEAN, than when it went down, Jack's last thoughts – nana second – could have PLACED him in "limbo" of an island and then went from there. IF these writers had a clue – then when Jacks eyes shut, it should have panned out to the airplane underwater and the last air bubble escaping from Jacks mouth then continue while the credits start to come up to the other passengers IN there seats.

Maybe I am so used to letting LOST takes my mind to where ever. So I really was able to enjoy the finale. I thought it was awesome until I realized so many people still have a lot of unanswered questions. I am just so glad that all these happened was not a dream of Jack. Otherwise, it would be very lame. Btw, I really think the plane crash at the very last shots is the Ajira plane with Sawyer, Kate, Claire, Miles, and Lapidus because I seriously saw the marking on it. And it doesn't make sense to be Oceanic 815 because that plane got burned away in the earlier episodes when the survivors couldn't stand the smell of dead bodies. And I really debt the Ajira plane has enough fuel to make it to the main land.....even though I really want to believe the effectiveness of duct tape.

I find it interesting, predictable, and endlessly amusing that the people who were disappointed are very, VERY vocal. Guess what folks? It wasn't your show. It was theirs. It was theirs to end as they saw fit. Deal.

Guys,
The writers that wrote Lost are brilliant.
The whole point of the series was to leave you guessing. The writers only give you 1/8 of the story you just have to figure out the other 7/8. It's called the Iceberg theory. Most great story writers use it. The last episode of Lost was confusing, but that the great part about it, you are left to figure it out how ever you want.
I agree with Eric, Art Marco, the ending was awesome, you just have to open your mind and see beneath the actual move and at what the writers are trying to tell you. Don't just look at what happened, looked at why it happened.

it was the worst possible ending ever. 6 years of my life got wasted.
infact the whole last season was the worst season. it was confused and trying to figure out how to tie knots that they have open in last so many years.
it didnt look like it was written by same writers. i hope they didnt outsource it.

btw did any one else notice that in the end the whole stone and water on light looked like shiv linga sitting on a pedestal of energy. and millions of hindus pour water on the linga (respresented by the stone) to keep it cool. it represents the lord of destruction which will eventually destroy the world and people keep it cool by pouring water on it.

all in all, i wont recommand anyone to start watching the lost if they havent done it already.
vishnu dutta

The moment Rose told Jack to "let go" on the plane in the season 6 premier was the exact moment that Jack died on the island in the season 6 finale. This much was indicated on Jimmy Kimmel after the show as well. We see that on the plane in sideways world he notices the cut on his neck, presumably from the battle with Locke in the finale. And shortly after the plane lands, he notices the cut on his side, and calls his mom to ask when his appendix was removed, again presumably from the fatal wound from Locke in the finale.

Also, the sideways world in my opinion was Jack's limbo. Other characters' limbo might have looked different. The characters in Jack's limbo were as he knew them, and he knew them for how they were on the island for the most part. So Kate and Claire make good mothers, Aaron is just a baby, Ana Lucia is still corrupt, Locke is a man of faith etc. etc.

This goes with the point above, that the moment we are introduced to the sideways world, is the exact moment that Jack dies on the island.

Vishnu? 6 years of your life got WASTED?!? On a TV show? Thank God you probably have never seen Coronation Street (BBC), I can't imagine what would happen if you didn't like that show? You would've been the saddest fetus on the planet!

Love it or hate it, the fact is that the finale is just that: final. It was a fitting end to a series that brought amazing characters to your living room and made you think about life, death, science, faith, and so much more for 6 years. What will you do now? You can't get that from The Jersey Shore or The Hills. http://www.thesmogger.com/2010/05/24/and-in-the-end/

its so easy..the little odds and ends added to keep you watching...the church is something of a transcendence place so to speak...everyone gets there when they are ready..the church only had so many of the losties because those were the ones that "let go"..ben didnt let go because of alex or for his own fears of becoming part of something he can't control. This show had one script coordinator..its hard to be that perfect...take some advice from the characters of the show..LET GO!!!!!...and ps..im saddened that Vincent didn't join them too..but i think its due in part to animals not having the capability to understand the concept. BUT..it would of been a nice touch to see him there too..the animal lovers would of enjoyed that :)

San Francisco Mike.........
Thanks for news about ABC last shot about beach scene NOT PART of story. After they paid for real jet engine to be shipped from CA to Hawaii for the most expensive TV series pilot history......guess they can show it again one last time.

Yes, there was a lot of dots that didn't connect. At least it wasn't predictable and for that I say, "Thank you!!" Kept my attention through the years and apparently many other people as well!

As to the issue about the ending not giving you all closure? Aside from the film, "The Elephant Man", has David Lynch ever ended a film that gave you even the slightest hint of closure? Do the last several pages of his scripts keep getting stuck together? Over exposed last reel? Or maybe his dog has developed a taste for bad writing/directing? Talk about phoning it in!

I loved the ending! It was well paced and glided to a soft stop. I even loved the commercials in the ending, very clever! Topping it off w/ a humorous take on JKL was the cherry on top! (And I don't even care for JKL!) And yes, I still believe that all dogs do go to heaven! How? I don't really care, they just do!!!!

For 6 years I watched this show and had discussions with a few people at work. In the end the finale was the one of the worst endings I have ever watched. If you think about it this show was all over the place and we all went along for the ride because the writers and producers knew eactly what they were doing. We wanted to see where this was going. Some people who tuned in at the beginning stopped because they figured out that this show was confusing. We who stuck it out to the end have a "got to see it to the end" psyche and the writers and producers figured that out. It's like when you go grocery shopping (products are placed on shelves because someone figured how consumers shopped) they knew what they had after the first season, that there would be people who would get hooked and would watch this show no matter what, they knew that people to see what was going to happen next (does that not sound like a soap opera) . In the end I don't even believe that the writers knew what to.

Ken: I didnt mean i kept on watching it for all six years. i meant six years of liking and having hopes with that show got wasted. thats the only show i watch on my tv.
I am glad i didnt watch the show you mentioned , otherwise i would have been like you.
thanks for the heads up.
Namaste to you as well.

food forthought: The plane at the bottom of the ocean was put there by Charles Widmore – he admitted to this last season.

We blindly accept leaps of imagination from other shows – LOTR, James Bond, 24 (or, dare I say it – "weapons of mass destruction!") – all the time. Why can't it be accepted here?

LOST was a drama.

Drama is usually expected to represent stories showing situations of conflict between characters – Jack and MIB/Locke, Jack and Sawyer, Locke and Ben, Kate & Jack & Sawyer, etc. The island itself was never a character! And, a drama is empty unless it resolves the conflicts between its antagonists and protagonists – and this show did that in a very unique way that had us all guessing until the very end.

The minor side-stories such as Dharma, the Others, etc were just tools used to help resolve the main characters. So, make up your own answers......think for yourselves....... quit crying because you weren't given the easy way out......

let's face it, in life there are some questions we never get answered. There are some things we will never know for sure...

But I do know for sure that there is good and there are people who are willing to stand up and do the right thing, sometimes at great personal cost to themselves. I also know that there is evil in the world. Real, violent, brutal evil.

Speaking as someone who lost a loved oned to evil before they had a chance to make good, I have wondered often what comes after we die. I found the ideas they presented in the finale interesting ideas to consider.

Hey S *$#%t 4 Brains Jackson........
Keep mouthing off about how smart U have become from reading other peoples ideas here......its really shows and we have seen
your rabbit hole.
Pull your fist out of your a#$whole bring me Dharma beer......then go back to being told what to believe.

I thought the finale was perfect. To be honest, an hour before the end I e-mailed another lost fan with the comment "if it turns out they are in heaven, I'll be very disappointed". And when the episode was over, I was. But when I thought about it, I realized what was really going on. My take on it is exactly the same as the response to "did all the characters die on the island". The people who were dead, stayed dead. Those who left lived out their lives and, as everyone does, eventually died. That's life. I think that any other ending, and especially a "go back in time, put everything right" ending, would have been to simple, and to simple minded, and would not have done right by what has been (mostly) a great, thought provoking show. I think the writers gave us exactly what they've been giving us for the past six years.

This blog is soooo great. To read how so many people interpreted this ending in so many ways and to consider all the possibilities for what the heck went down is just fantastic. Ok, granted they left a million things unanswered and yes I to think they could have come up with a better ending BUT, I think we have to take a step back and consider this. What if they left nothing unanswered and nothing for us to ponder and "think about" as far as the limitless possibilities? We'd be complaining that it was boring. They left it up to each of us to interpret the way we see fit. Everyone has there own idea's and everyone who saw it is talking about it. That's the real genius here. For those of you out there who are not fanatics about this show and TV in general and can see this experience for what it was, I think it really did do what the creators hoped it would do. I was always led to believe that if something gets you thinking, really thinking, whatever form of media (or life experience) it my be, then it's been a success. Welllll.... It may take weeks or even months of watching it over and over again and talking about it but hopefully we'll look back and be a little happier with the results and be grateful that we watched something on the boob tube that had us thinking of the possibilities that may be waiting for us.... Only time will tell! At least time here on this plane. HaHa!

TV Viewer, in a way kind of agree. The series had a great premise and some awesome ideas central to the story, but frankly it is as though the producers stumbled into it and didn't always appreciate, or couldn't handle, what they had. The show gave us great moments and twists (like the first flash forward!).But there was a lot making it up as they went along that didn't hold together. Oh well.

It was entertaining. It made one think. It has sparked very lively discussions. It was decent television for a change and didn't fill in all the blanks for us. I like the unanswered questions; I will fill them in myself.

It was a terrible ending. I don't understand all of the defenders claiming that it's Lost's style to leave us guessing about meaning. No, it's not. We invested a lot of time into this program. There were big questions that needed to be answered in order for us to care. Before anyone gets on his high horse and snubs his nose at me like I'm some anti-intellectual, let me remind you that for 6 years you accepted that if the man in black succeeded, it would be "all over for everyone" or words to that extent. Really? If that's all anyone needs to be placated with a story, then I should start writing. You can read up and down this list – what would happen if the MIB was successful? (I bet he'd get a job and a 5th story walkup in Manhattan) What about Walt? Why was Whidmore important and what did he know? There are real questions that should have been answered. Lost was true TV greatness until the last 10 minutes when that greatness was lost.

It's simply amazing how many people just didn't get it. I though the complexity, intelligence, and challenging nature of the show over 6 years had shaken out all the "but why are there polar bears" numnutz. I guess not.

An awesome ending to an awesome show. (And yes, I 'got' the Sopranos ending too).

For the MiB to leave, the cork had to be taken out, This involved the destruction of the Island (and possibly the world) which was probably the real threat considering all the red light emanating from the open whole in the ground. The show was meant to have you use your imagination. You can't take everything in a sci-fi literal.

The writers were paid to figure the story out, not us. I understand your explanation & I already figured most of it out for myself, but in all honesty, the writers did not end the show well. Yes, I enjoyed discussing it & figuring some things out on my own; the show made you think. However, the show also became more & more ambiguous & so the ending was the same. I really don't believe that the writers knew how they were going to end the show. They just threw a lot of stuff out & didn't feel the need to explain most of it. And they may have known it would end with a shot of Jack closing his eye, but that doesn't mean they knew how they would end the series.
It just seems as if the whole show got too convoluted, with too many characters, and too many time/space/flashes. It was very touching to see the characters remember each other, but to end it with them all now dead & sideways being a bardo, was a total cop out on the part of the writers. Next time I want to write the ending for a series, I'll make sure I'm the one who gets paid for it.

@ Richard
Clearly there's no room for critical thinking on this board. Since when did Movies/ Shows have to S*P*E*L*L out every aspect of the plot for people to get it. I guess America is more content watching giant robots that have pupils like humans and aliens fight plasma cannons with spears... *sigh*

Speaking as a writer of four plays, the writers got one big thing wrong. They had the right closing image (Jack's eye), they did not have a great ending thought up to work towards. You have to work forwards and backwards towards that ending, or you end up chewing your way to the best thing you can come up with to cover your mistakes along the way. They did that and quite well, but "Lost" had a chance to be a much more really profound work had they created the proper ending before they ever shot a scene. It became a really good Hollywood product (when the bomb went off, as it must in Hollywood products) when the first season was better than that. There was nothing new or particularly insightful about the last ten minutes. It was moving because we knew the characters, but it had the potential for much more.

The island was purgatory. Then everyone by season 2 was correctly guessing that's the case. To keep people interested the writers decided to say it isn't purgatory and then spent the rest of the seriers in a scrample to find an ending that would make sure that the island isn't purgatory (to keep to their so called word) and they came up with the b*s* we now see.

Think about it. Why was echos brother on the island. Why did syiad see a cat of one of the people he tourtored? Why did shannon see walt? Why is christian's body missing? Most of these make sense if you consider the island purgatory through part of season 3. After that it turned to crap as they tried to scrample for a new ending.

A simple cop-out by arrogant writers who knew far less than their egos wanted them to believe.

The writers stated "everything would be scientifically explained", that never happened! The writers outright lied as the brilliant fans (most of who are far more intelligent than the writers) figured this out early in Season One. This meant all the mysteries that were supposed to be based on a purgatory state now couldn't be explained scientifically. You see, had LOST followed the purgatory state the mysteries could have been attributed to dreams and imaginations. This explains why there were SO many unanswered questions and mysteries. This also explains why some of us felt as though they were making it up as time went on. Their initial plans were foiled thus preventing them from answering questions viewers spent six (6) years waiting for.

The writers had fallen so deep into trying to keep everything a secret they totally contradicted themselves in the end. It only took 2 seconds in the final 5 minutes of the series to state what we knew all along, the series was based on purgatory.

Folks...this was simply the perfect ending to this show. So well made and at least for me, made complete sense. I don't understand why so many are confused. I have watched other show finales in recent years and joined in the chorus of confusion. Case in point: Battlestar Galactica. What were those folks thinking? However this finale had all the necessary pieces fall into place. Well done!

why was Desmond trying to kill John in this "sideways" world? He already knew about John being the MiB.
Desmond was there to help everyone remember, right?
A better ending would have been Jack remembering everything right before he operates on John and lets him die during surgery.

The main characters in the story didn't even get the whole explanation. Here I'll use probably in another way. When people die they will probably either go to heaven or possibly go to hell, the Bible doesn't make it explicitly clear. There probably is a God and there Possibly isn't. Does that make you shake your fist at the sky for not knowing exactly how this is all going to end? Probably not. You are probably sure of how it all ends. That would involve faith. Having to type in numbers to avoid a catastrophe or knowing what the exact composition of a monster made of smoke is, is nonsensical trivia. They were props used for entertainment purposes that revolved around the development of a group of everyman. Jack resolved his issues on the Island internally and externally. That was the only thing that mattered. I happily walked the suspension bridge of disbelief to see that conflict resolved and I am thoroughly satisfied with what I was given.

Lost means nothing at all–there was no deeper meaning. It is as real as the farm on Farmville.

But stay tuned for the DVD series with tell-all interviews with the writers and cast that will come out for the next few years and for the movie that tricks everyone into believing that all of the loose ends will be tied up. Of course, there will be a reunion.

If you enjoyed it, good for you! And congratulations on the success of the creative team who dreamed up what turned out to be an awesome money-making scheme!

maverick, sanfran mike, andrew: The beginning and final imagery suggest this is really Jack's story. On one level, you get the obvious global "heaven" solution – he's going to heaven with all of his friends after coming to terms in some sort of limbo or purgatory. On another level, you could have Jack having a near-death experience complete with the bright light (pupil dilation and overstimulation of the retina/nerves), a life-review, feelings of peace and unconditional love, timelessness, etc. (flooding of all parts of the brain with neurochemicals, adrenaline, etc., apoxia).

Everything on the island actually happened, for better or for worse. It was reality. The island has some clear paranormal/magical/spiritual/otherwise not-yet-unexplainable things going on. After he replaced the stone and was washed out of the chamber and ashore and started walking through the bamboo forest, it's then that he has the near-death experience, which may be instantaneous, where he experiences all the alternate sideways timeline. In a final personal "reward"/luck/fruition of his efforts (hopefully, it's not just an hallucination), the Aljira plane files over. He "sees the light" (pupil dilation), then closes his eyes in death.

Got sucked in season 2 and rented the first season to catch up. Thank the maker for DVRs but I liked the end show. I figured they were indeed all dead (like many others) and this was all Jack. I did enjoy it but after mulling it – I would have done two things different::

1. The church / mortuary would have been full of the people on the flight.

2. After he closes his eyes and we see the pull away from Jack's body we can just make out that he is still in the suit he had on the first time we saw him and there's no Vincent. laying by him.

good show. kind of a weak ending, I think. maybe a real answer will come from the writers some day. either way, I enjoyed the ride. For me, Locke was the star of the show, he's an amazing actor with phenomenal range , Evangeline Lily can have my baby (please ;-) and the island? I'd visit if I could...

dezijan- right on!
a perfect ending to a perfect series! extremely well thought out and executed. Their collaborative actions over the 6 seasons resulted in saving the island – and thus the world and their souls. If they failed (and MIB succeeded) the world would have been extinguished and their souls certainly would not be able to make the transition.
As for some of the questions we never really got to answer – after season 6 the list is much smaller, although they even pointed out to us that each answer simply begets another question. Do we really need every last detail spelled out? The writers can only ruin things by trying to nail down every last detail. Plus, the things that mattered did get answered. (e.g., who cares about Walt – just not important, and hasn;t been for years.)

Throw out your TVs – we've just seen the all-time high-water mark that can't possibly be equaled.

Fact of the matter is, no matter what questions were answered or not, not all of the questions that viewers have thrown out there were to be answered in 2.5 hours. This show had huge religious overtones from the beginning, and just as nobody can truly answer what happens when you die, if there is a heaven and hell, what does God look like, or are we alone in the universe, the writers cannot explain every little thing in the show. This is especially true since a lot of these questions are the same as those that we cannot answer in our own lives.

Ummm... not sure if this was pointed out in a thread, but one of those skeletons was probably the Man in Black. The Smoke Monster never needed an actual body to inhabit (i.e. John Locke) just a dead person to mimic and since he presumably got close enough to the light to turn into smokey, my bet one was his. As far as the other one, I take the Matrix answer.... "It has happened before, it will happen again"

To those saying that the creators 'owed' you the answers: They don't owe you crap, the only thing they owe is (to themselves) to do the story they want, how they want it. Some will like it, some won't. If you want to get technical, they only owed episodes to the studio buying them.

Second, what is it with people wanting every single little detail explained? I am actually -glad- they didn't explain more. I think the way it ended it leaves it in a way in which you can still make your own interpretation of it, and I believe this is something the creators intended, and the show is greater for it, not lesser. Reading through some of the comments here seems to be an easy explanation of why 99% of TV is utter crap.

Are we collectively really so intellectually lazy? Are we so artistically cheap?
Do these people get angry when they go to an art showing and they don't get the meaning of a painting? and angrily demand the painter to write a full explanation of what he meant? Use your brains, think, and realize that not everyone HAS to have the same understanding of it.

I think:
– Ben chose to stay in the semi-real LA situation a while to enjoy Alex and perhaps to further 'atone' for his 'sins'
– Everyone was there based on their relationship to one another. So, Penny was there because it wouldn't be 'heaven' for Desmond without her. Likewise, for it to be 'heaven' for Claire she had to have a chance to raise Aaron - so he was born again.
– Michael is apparently doomed to be forever a ghost
– Walt should have been there, but if so, he should have been the kid they all knew
– Apparently, there are no dogs in heaven or Vincent should have been there
– Since it seems to be based on relationships, I'm surprised that Libby wasn't there for Hurley
– I guess all the other people on the plane didn't cut it to make it into that relationship-based heaven

They probably won't, but theoretically they could make a bunch of sequels based on Hurley and Ben's time on the island as caretakers or based on Kate and company making it back to civilization. But, neither would have the same magic. I can see some cheap novels along those lines in several years.

I am so glad I never watched this series and got sucked into all the "what is that" or "what does this mean" LOST BS. From what I have read and seen bits of ,it seems the whole thing was poorly written, and ill thought of from the very begining...like Stephen King wrote a TV series.Oh wait he did it was called "IT" and "it" was pathetic. So all your questions are meaningless...you all got taken for a ride..as the writers have no idea what they were doing....very funny actually..

They should have made it so when the island was crumbling into the sea that other real life events were happening around the world- earthquakes, hurricanes, whatever they need to tie in real life events to the events on the island. It would have made for a much cooler ending. But it was still good. Not great, but definitely worth watching.

I am so disappointed that the writers couldn't respect the intelligence of their fans enough to give us a decent finale, and instead put out this drug store romance novel drivel!!

They've spent 6 seasons crafting an intricate story that dealt with issues of philosophy, myth and metaphysics. Episode after episode, we were led to believe that this Island was the center of the series and brought meaning and purpose to the lives of the survivors (how many times did Jack and Locke tell us that they were "brought to the Island for a reason").

And just when the writers have a golden opportunity to use the Island as a backdrop to give us a glimpse into their own notions of time, space and existence, they turn the finale into a Wednesday afternoon soap opera that could've been written by any lovesick teenage girl after watching Twilight ("ooooooohhhh, it would be so CUTE if Sun and Jin lived happily ever after!!!!").

These writers should be ashamed of themselves for their pathetic, mainstream and diluted finale to an otherwise amazing show. The chance for true TV brilliance has been Lost forever!!

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH "Art Marco"! That's what I had pictured & it would have been an AWESOME ENDING! I hate that the ending they used Totally dismissed everything that had happened over the past years as just a dream... that really Sucks!! It appears as if the writers got tired & dropped the ball or just said OK, that's enough, THE END!
LOST was an Awesome show, but the ending..... Extremely Disappointing!

I wanted the last hour of the last show to be Hurley, Miles and Desmond sitting on a beach drawing diagrams in the sand while discussing the Dharma Initiative, Faraday's equations, the underground wheel, etc., etc. So much left unanswered.

I was drawn to the show by the sci-fi themes, not the relationships between moody and often unlikeable characters.

But the Twilight fans got their ending and sci-Trekkies didn't. At least Fringe is still going.

What the heck were the angry people looking for? Lost never promised to heal the world, stop disease and famine, or make you immortal. It's a freaking awesome tv show that ended with a beautiful and happy ending for the characters. If you're disappointed fine, but lighten up y'all.

The show gave us the structure in order to answer all the questions ourselves. That's the beauty, every question has a plausible answer but you must do your own thinking about it. Just because the show didn't kill the creativity and imagination in their fans minds doesn't mean it was a cop out!!!

Here's PART I
May 25th, 2010 6:38 pm ET
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
As a writer/ producer who knows several staff writers on Lost, I can tell you with absolute certainty that THEY WROTE THEMSELVES INTO SO MANY CORNERS, THEY JUST GAVE UP ON ANSWERING ALL THE QUESTIONS THEY POSED. Abrams was busy making movies and let his inexperienced buddy Lindelof run the show nearly into the ground until veteran Cuse came to try to rescue it. Cuse knows TV production and he's damn good at it, but not multi-threaded writing. Great cast, excellent actors, especially Terry Quinn (Locke) and yes, TV is about watching your favorite character every week, but beyond that...c'mon.

At some point when viewers were tuning out in record numbers (didn't hear about that fact too much did you?) they all realized (especially Execs at ABC – remember, they have an ownership interest in this show) that their only hope of stringing this thing out long enough to compile minimum episodes for syndication and DVD sales (where they generate HUGE revenue) was to do just that – string it out; just write about interesting things happening to these characters and don't make any attempt to explain the rules of the world that they exist in.

To those of you that say the ending was a "cop out," you are actually being too kind. It is worse than that. It reveals the entire series to be a HOAX perpetrated on the viewing audience. It is EASY to pose questions in a dramatic piece. The skill in good writing is to stay one step ahead of an intelligent audience that is trying to guess the next step or explanation – that's what creates dramatic tension. The instant we know we are not in the real world, the FIRST thing we need to know is WHAT ARE THE RULES OF THIS PLACE they are showing us. I need to know the choices and the challenges presented to the character I care about. He turns left or right, different fates await him. The only way I can identify is asking myself, "What would I do?" But if a beam comes down from the sky and turns him into a talking jackelope and he starts reciting poetry...that's just a writer on LSD, not a creative "genius." To those who disagree, defend your position by giving EXAMPLES of the "genius" that FAILS to answer the questions all are complaining about, WITHOUT ADDING ANYTHING EXTRA TO WHAT WAS PRESENTED IN THE SHOW – ONLY INTERPRET WHAT WAS SHOWN, BY POINTING OUT THE GENIUS that we simpletons "missed" or "just didn't get." If anyone can successfully do that, I will buy a FULL PAGE AD in Variety and apologize to Abrams, Lindelof and Cuse and staff, AND ABC as well. Try your best.

I don't want to change the topic. But.
My dad did jungle combat training in Hawaii in 1943.
He had plenty of opportunities to go back. Even his nephews were
military officers there for many years.
But for some reason, he thought it was all hotels and tourists.
Well, It would be great if they left the props, so tourists would have
some others places to visit, to go on the Lost tour of Hawaii.

i think that locke & doc should have had a showdown at the light source. locke should have shoved doc into over the waterfall. and killed him. then, as white smoke, doc and the black smoke, locke, would have fought it out to the death!

Sawyer and Kate were confined to the BEAR CAGE in the Other's camp. One of the Others taunted them about how the bears figured out how to get a fish biscuit much faster than they did. Gee, I don't know, you don't think that the BEAR in the BEAR CAGE might have been a POLAR BEAR, do you?

I thought the ending was decent, it was just the season as a whole was pretty miserable. Couple of reasons.

1) The season's pacing was terrible, like a little kid who gets sidetracked in the middle of a story, then spits everything out at you right at the end. Second to last episode essentially consisted of them getting distracted on there way to kill Locke by Jacob.

2) Ben's character was terrible this season. One of the best characters from the show got reduced to a side plot.

3) Matthew Fox dropped the ball period. He was never able to carry a scene like O'Quinn or the guy who plays Ben (Seasons 2-5).

4) Have no idea about Widmore's motivations except for what he says about 5 seconds before he dies. I'm feeling like one of the better actors on the show was just a bad plot device with an accent.

5) To any aspiring writers out there (this was a huge problem all season), I want you to look up the term EXPOSITORY DIALOGUE. This shouldn't be a problem at the end of a show, only the beginning.

6) Not enough night scenes. Maybe it w was just me, but the lighting in the mostly daytime scenes (namely those with Jacob *terrible actor by the way*) looked amateurish to me somehow.

7) Only plot complaint that I have is the lack of any internal struggle to Flocke in the present day. He was in many ways a convincing character and his original self was excellently portrayed, but I really felt that the show was moving towards reforming him. Jacob said he was bringing people there because he thought there was good in outsiders.

I'm more disappointed by the last season as a whole, I at least felt the last episode was of the same quality as the earlier ones. I feel like the plot veered away from what the writers were originally getting at, and then the pacing of all the episodes after Locke kills people at the temple just seemed lethargic. Could have been so much better as a whole, but the finale did pull it out of the gutter it had been in for about a month and a half.

The good: I couldn't move from the couch for two and a half hours. I've never been one to let myself get fully involved in a tv series, but life will be different with this show gone. I loved that the finale was simply about wrapping it up. No new characters emerged, the plot didn't spin 30 times. The writers used every second they had to get a resolution to their series. I don't think the ending was confusing, and not much was left for interpretation...

The bad: The happy ending, well.. it wasnt that happy. JACK DIES. We see a world where everyone is happy and reunited, but it takes a spiritual person to believe in what the writers were giving us is possible. Jack and Kate don't live happily ever after. Sun and Jin don't raise a baby together. Sayeed is actually blown up all over the ocean. Why take such a spiritual approach... it seemed too soft for a fan base that has already dealt with the deaths of our favorite characters!!

The confusing: Why did Hurley and Ben stay... what was left to protect? Maybe I missed something but I thought Jack killed the evil. When the flashbacks of everyones lives were appearing to them in their flash-sideways, would it have been so difficult to include some things we didn't see in the show... a snapshot into their futures. Say a capture of Hurley and Ben on the island in the future, likely with Ben aging and Hurley not. Are we really to assume that Kate and Sawyer had no life together...I highly doubt she waited until heaven to reunite with Jack.

moving on... and that FlashForward show got canceled too. Any ideas for next fall?

So... This writer is relying on statements from characters who were repeated (and admittedly) wrong even in the last episode. This is a weak basis for explanation. But, it's as plausible as ANY that could be put forth.

To all those upset that the LOST final didn't answer every last question the show has ever posed, get over it. It's a better show because of that. It's why Star Wars is better than Star Trek (it's not open for debate, it's a fact) Star Wars simply had "The Force" and Hyperdrives and lightsabers, but it wasn't about those things, it was about relationships, and how we live (and die) with each other. Star Trek always wanted to explain away everything. I swear there are entire episode of that show devoted to the transporter or warp core. WHO CARES?! LOST went the smart route and focused on the characters. It's a character driven show (dare I say romance even?) set against the backdrop of sci-fi and that's what makes it genius. The writers didn't cop out, they challenged you to think of your own answers using the information you've been given (WHICH IS PLENTY!)... to use your noggin a little bit. I STILL hear people saying "yeah but why were the polar bears there?" or "what ever happened to Aaron, wasn't he supposed to be important or something?"... those questions and many others were answered by the second or third season. Or when you do get an answer (Jack's tattoo for example) you cite that as one of the low points of the show, so make up your mind, what do you want? The answers are there, you just have to put the puzzle pieces in the right place. This isn't American Idol, it's not Dancing with the Stars. LOST isn't a show that caters to the lowest common denominator of entertainment, so if you don't feel like turning your brain on to watch it, then that's your own fault. As for me, I have all the answers I need.

The ending was beautifully done; it brought back all the great memories from watching the first season... i suddenly felt all the sensations and love for these characters as i did in the beginning, and this was absent for so long.

Here is my problem: the Island was also a central character in the show, and should have had a much more appropriate send off. If only the writers had added 3 or 4 episodes between "Across the Sea" and "The End" allowing a much needed all-out-answer-fest. The writers claim they resolved MIB and Jacob's stories; it seemed like they shoved them aside to make room for our heroes.

I loved the finale, i can apply the "Let Go" message to my own life. But so many mysteries were pushed on us, so many side stories and fake internet sites designed to make you fret over what they meant, when in the end they all meant nothing.

The writers say that the characters were the only important part of the show. Then why did they have all these fan theory contests? Why did they encourage fans to try and figure out what the island was?

This is how it really should have ended. This gives the island an much more important role in the lives and deaths of our heroes:

Christian opens the doors to the white light and then slow fade to white. Next shot is Jack on the island, looking in the pool with the cork in it, watching these flash sideways. The island shows him how to construct this purgatory, and shows him the great beyond. etc.

It is absolutely hilarious reading those people who hated the ending. You guys sound like you got your butt hurt! HAHAHAHA! HA!
Too bad you can't get your money back!!!
But go ahead and boycott the writers and producers, because it's obvious these amateurs don't know a good ending from a head up their ass ....... but wait .... you do. You've had your head up your ass and that's why you can think of a better ending. You thirsty? I got some Haterade for you.

I think you have everything right here except for one thing – Linus. I don't believe he stayed behind for Alex. Rather, he stayed behind in purgatory longer because he had lived such a selfish, deceptive life – constantly betraying others. He therefore needed more time to work out his redemption. This was confirmed by Locke saying, "If it helps any, I forgive you" – followed by Linus saying, "Thanks, that does help. So, Alex is really there to help Linus by giving him the opportunity to learn how to give of himself, i.e. to learn how to love.

I am sorry these 5 questions are NOT what we want answered. These questions only pertain to the final episode... Answered or not, they did not matter before Sunday, and they have nothing to do with the series as a whole (well may be one of them somewhat)!

We need some explanation about what happened in all the previous episodes!!!

LOST's finale was probably the emotional and beautiful television experience i have ever had. to those who hated the finale or felt somehow insulted by the show...i genuinely feel bad for your not being able to "let go" of small questions and embrace the creative brilliance on all levels (acting, writing, the musical score) that was The End.

If anyone remembers the big statue. I'd have to rewatch but i think it was a giant statue of anubis. Anubis was the guardian of the underworld the protector of the dead he was the judge of peoples worthiness to enter the realm of the dead. He did so by weighing the heart during mummification. Perhaps the Island was the testing ground to find those worthy...after all those at the end got what they wanted most.

However, it was clearly never really their intention to write a comprehensive narrative. Their intention was to write a TV show that left you on the edge of your seat each week dying to know more and tune in the next week. Think about it. If you dreaded to see that little red rectangle "bad robot" head swoop into the scene at the very end, they succeeded!

One of the reasons that LOST was so special is because it played much more like a movie, than a TV show. The trouble is, that films are just two hours long and normally have every "dotted" and "t" crossed before any filming begins. In comparison, it is easy to write a film script that asks big questions has a thrilling pace and gives satisfying answers by the third act. For a TV show that lasts six years, that's out of the question.

When they wrote and filmed the pilot episode, they could never have known how many shows/seasons there would be. All they had was a general idea, many themes and a "mystery" that allows them to never have to commit to any explanations for a while, if ever. Kinda brilliant.

That said, each episode needed to have a huge amount of drama, mystery, danger, excitement, etc. to keep people tuning in. That's gotta be hard to do. The only way the writers could keep up this pace and and not actually give away the secret to the island was to keep opening up more and more doors.

As they did this, it became harder and harder to have any story that really made any sense. That sorta stinks, because the mystery is what hooks so many people and to not have a satisfying pay-off to lingering questions is frustrating.

I got hooked at the "hatch" at the end of season 1 and beginning of season 2 with the introduction of Desmond. At that point, I really thought there was a master plan to Lost and I was excited. After all, the DARMA initiative seemed really "planned" with all the stations and communication stations and all. Ooooh, it seemed like a really good long long movie!

Eventually, when the story focus drifted away from DARMA to the next thing, and then to the next thing, I saw the writing on the wall. There was no real solid master plan, they were making it up as they went along. But you know what? They did such a good job "faking" the importance of any given event each week, I began to appreciate it for that alone and gave up on the sci-fi intellectual part of it all. The characters and their relationships were what the show did amazingly well. Even if it was to tell a story full of holes.

So, I for one, loved the ending. I was so glad they did not do a "it was all a dream" type of thing, or a surprise twist and cut-to-credits before you can think type of thing.

In a way, I think how the show turned out resembles life. There's all this crazy stuff that you'd love to have answers for. Things there really should be answers for! Things they could have answered! But in the end, you really gotta let go and look around and appreciate the relationships you have.

You can't make *every* single person completely happy with something like this. I think the writers did a great job, and I like how it was finished. Above all, it's a TV show, so to be as upset as a lot of you are coming across is just hilariously pathetic. Get over yourselves. Enjoy someone *else's* artistic license and MOVE ON.

So many complainers on here. "Won't ever watch anything by these people again." Silly. It is a show, albeit a show that touched a lot of people. Stop whining and try to look at the ending as just that! Don't look for a "bone" to be thrown to you. Draw some of your own conclusions and just let it go! For heaven's sake. I loved the ending, BTW, just not the fact that it had to end. I loved that show!

I think you're reading way too much into what you were watching. I disagree with quite a bit of what you've said here, especially Q#1. The "final scene" was not Jack dying, it was the empty/devoid-of-life crash site, with fires still blazing, and NO SURVIVORS to be seen. THEY ALL DIED IN THE CRASH! Everything that happened after the crash happened in purgatory.

Regardless of the "correct" interpretation of the ending, it was a let-down for me. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that. I'm also convinced that the writers didn't really have this all mapped out from the beginning; they were making it up as they went along.

Looking at the big picture...it's a fictional television show that depicted thought-provoking, although improbable, situations. However, the fact that the show was fictional should have allowed the writers complete freedom in explaning the questions raised. The answers didn't need to be reasonable within the real world, only within the "Lost" world. I loved the character development within Lost, the awakenings were clever, and the final scene of Jack's eye closing provided a symmetry to the story that was classic. That said....the main questions needed to be answered. It's a cop-out to suggest that those with similar views "don't get it". I would like to see the finale re-edited at some point in the future to include some intelligent answers...it's been done before to appease fans.

Why was Desmond in the hatch? He came out in a radiation suit because the island was contaminated. Did the writers see far enough ahead about the bomb going off? If so, they weren't just writing by the seat of their pants. I guess they had it all planned out a long time ago???

I never watched a single minute of 'Lost', and, judging by everyone's reaction that watched the finale, am very glad i missed it. All of it. I would have been very upset if I got that into a series and the last ten minutes of the finale sucked! wow.

I never cared for lost or anything they did but how they ended the show, leaving so many holes unfilled, was probably there best move. This leaves things open for anything they want to do, like a blockbuster, hole filling movie? I mean look how insane people were for the final episode of the show. People would flock to movie theaters to see LOST the move, answers revealed.

Everyone did die when the plane crashed. That is why the wreckage is shown washed up as the last scene, instead of it ending with Jack's eye closing. The island is a type of netherworld much like in Egyptian myth. The writers pretty much give you that with all the hieroglyphs, the statue, the whispering, the way that Jacob and The Man in Black are basically incarnations of Horus and Anubis respectively. The victims of the crash must pass through the netherworld in order to move on, and as we saw, some may have been condemned to Hell.

This doesn't mean it wasn't real. It was real, absolutely real, just as Christian said. Just because it happened after they died does not mean it wasn't real.

The sideways reality is where they met after they successfully navigated through the so-called netherworld in order to move on to the light (also taken from Egyptian mythology). Not everyone in the sideways reality arrived at the same time, but since there is no time and no now there, it doesn't matter. As for what Christian said about people dying at different times, that is still absolutely correct even though all those on the Oceanic flight died at the same time. Desmond, for example, was in the netherworld before any of the Oceanic members. We do not know when he died, just that it was before them. Also in the sideways reality was Locke's girlfriend. Yes, she was real and she was there even though she did not die on the flight. Everything is a constant there, everything co-exists.

So yes, the island was real, the sideways reality was real. Life after death is real. Now what's interesting is all the room for speculation. If you research the Egyptian Book of Caverns (a book of the netherworld, more or less) you will see that it is divided into six parts of the netherworld...six season of Lost? Who knows. Are the skeletons at the bottom of the waterfall where the light is other people who assumed Jack's role at one time on the island, meaning that the trials these souls had to pass are simply a cycle? Or was it for a seperate reason and the island does truly need protecting? I don't know.

As a last note, the Dharma Initiative and everyone else we saw on the island are other people passing through the netherworld. Time there is of no consequence so one cannot speculate why some pass more quickly than others. Death is real on the island because it is a step in the process of passing or failing your trials. In the Egyptian mythology death was real in the netherworld. Life is relative. So is death.

The show only followed Jack's experience. We cannot know the full stories of everyone else.

The writers did something very interesting with this show in that the struggle between faith and science (Locke and Jack) was an epic theme through out. Then when the show ends, the viewers more or less divide into two groups. Those who want the cold, hard facts of what happened (science) and those who are satisfied and think it all happened for a reason (faith). Beautiful!

I respect "Lost" final and people who liked it. Personally I did't like that writters did not answer the questions they created along the series. I watched it because they piqued my curiosity and since they created the questions I assumed they were going to provide the answers.
Now that all the story was told I can say that if I had known their style of the ending then I would have not seen even 1 episode.

Personally, in the future, I will not see another production made by the same people because I know their story style is not of my liking.
It's like not seeing drama movies because I know I don't like drama stories. I don't like them therefore I don't even try to see them.

For those of you who believe that they all died in the original plane crash, how do you reconcile the fact that Jack, Kate, Hugo and the other "Survivors of Oceanic 815" escaped in a helicopter and lived their various lives for four years before going back to the island?

I agree that the show took several mis-steps along the six year run, I even wondered at times if the writers were themselves lost. However, the show was always about relationships, six degrees (or less) of seperation, and unanswered questions. Is anyone really surprised that the finale followed suit? I think everyone should just take it for what it is: a good show that has come to an end. So, accept it, meet all the other upset fans in a church and let's all move on.

Good points. The writers said this was to be a character study. So I guess if you wanted to know the mystical/science fiction type answers, i.e., what was the light, you would not like the ending. If you became involved with the characters and their stories you might find the ending just about right. I could have gone on a little longer to see how Hurley faired handling the island, what James, Kate, Miles, etc..., did with the rest of their lives. But it had to end sometime. I loved it and think it was one of the best shows on TV ever.

A lot of silly angry comments from people too dumb to understand the ending. It boggles my mind that people think they wasted 6 years being entertained by this show just because they didn't like the end. I say get over it and go get a life.

Why does everything need to be all packaged up with a nice bow on it for some people. Not everything that had played a part of the story line was going to get answered, isn't life like that?

For those of you that think that they were all dead the entire show; that they were in purgatory the entire time; that the island world never actually happened – rewatch the ending of the finale and actually listen to the dialogue.

Maybe the reason we're all feeling a little bit disappointed is because it was a truly brilliant piece of work. We're sad it's over.
It made my brain hurt sometimes but at the end of every hour, I went "ooooooh"... I just LOVED it. I kinda knew they were in purgatory and I knew we wouldn't get an "Answer" to every question. But then that's life. We don't have the answer to everything and are often left wondering.

The finale was never gonna meet up to the expectations of the faithful. I suggest watching it again and listen out for the metaphors. I think the ending was beautiful in a way and maybe the boys wanted something more Sci-fi?

I'm fed up with people whining about how the finale was a "stupid ending to an intelligent show." You think that because the writers didn't hand-feed you every detail and every answer, that makes them less than brilliant?

How pathetically wrong of you. The closing of LOST was handled with absolute grace. They allowed it to conclude in the same way as it played: open to interpretation. If you expect to be told every exact detail about everything, then you've been watching stupid drama TV for too long.

The finale was a beautiful ending to an amazing show. I agree that the series is one for the books and will -and should- be discussed for years to come.

Come on people...get real!!!! You didn't get many answers during the six year run of Lost and you expected to get answers at the end?!?!?! That is just not reality. The series kept you captivated/entertained for SIX years! Get a life, let go, and move on!

To all you brainiacs it's not pergatory, it's purgatory!! If you can't even spell I cannot fathom you understanding the finale!

It was NOT Jack's dying moments. He (nor anybody else) died in the original crash.

Why would he hallucinate/dream about people he did not know???? Because if he died at the crash with everyone else he would have never met (and much less had relationships with) the other survivors. And if that didn't happen, if he never really met these people, why in the world would he be hallucinating/dreaming/have fantasies/ whatever about them in his last dying breath?? IT MAKES NO SENSE!! Get it???

What happened in the island happened. It was very clear and also explained by his father and the writers of the show. Please don't be so dense.

Let's not forget that LOST was a character driven show. The show was always about how these people were lost in their respective lives. As Christian told Jack in the end, they all needed each other. They needed each other to grow, to get over their shortcomings and find purpose in their lives. Yeah, having a replay button so that everyone was alive again and none of it ever happened would have satisfied the sci-fi geek in most of us, but that would have nullified any growth any of our castaways went through the past six seasons and in my humble opinion would have cheapened the show. The creators of LOST rightly left unanswered questions about things like the island and the light source so that each of us could interpret them based on our own belief systems. Never giving the Man in Black a name lets us speculate on his correlation to historical and biblical figures. The blurring of good vs. evil when both seem to often use the same tactics. All these things and more make LOST the perfect philosophical case study that will be debated for some time to come. I for one plan on re-watching every episode with the knowledge of what I have now, not to look for more answers but to see the things that were hinted to all along. I loved it!!!

The writers denied from the first that the characters were dead and in limbo, when plainly they were. They insisted that there was no fantasy or unreal aspect to the show, and that it wasn't science fiction or about alternate worlds. I got tired of it and stopped watching, and guess what? I seem to have been right.

@Nicole. if the finale was confusing to you then you have a problem, It was very clear.
"People are not allowed to discuss the fairly confusing finale without being insulted and sarcastically called "brainiacs" and dense?"
That is a double negative. You probably mean "People ARE allowed to discuss the fairly confusing finale without being insulted and sarcastically called "brainiacs" and dense?

Anne, no they didn't die in the original crash. That is obvious, as it was explained by Christian. Also, in the original crash when Jack woke up, there was a clean perfect sneaker and he was in a suit and tie. When he died, the sneaker was weathered and dirty. Jack was not in a suit and tie, he was in his navy T shirt and jeans. The crash site was not a new crash, with the engines on fire, etc. It was obviously an old crash site.

One thing that no one has ever discussed is the fact that we see LaFleur's (Sawyer?) skeletal remains in the Dharma jumpsuit in the body pit in either Season two or Season three when Locke is pushed in by I believe Ben....can anyone explain how LaFleur/Sawyer was able to be in the pit dead and yet still walking around the Island?

For me Lost delivered on the characters, I"ll concede that part was well done in my opinion. It could have been better on more levels than just that though. I consider myself part of the nerd-culture and followed along for 6 years (off and on) along with similar people trying to theorize the what's and how's of the mysterious stuff. I feel like we've been left out in the rain.
BTW: ABC stated that the final pictures of the crash site (after Jack closes his eyes) were not part of the 'story'. ABC simply added that as a transition to the News which followed.

The "finale" definately created a vacuum in more ways than one. The series was fantastic, but ruined by the lack of closure. You don't waste time reading a Stephen King book only to quit half way thru the last chapter. Sorry guys, the ending sucked...

These comments are from a born cynic. I loved the show during the first 3 years and referred to it as "Dumb & Dumber" for the last 3. Clearly the writers initially had a great idea that they turned into a highly successful show. I feel that they may have been overwhelmed by the fact that the season ran for 6 years, when they may have run out of logical twists and turns for 3.

I feel that posters' complaints about lack of answers justifies my above comments. There are no answers, simply because many of the story lines may have been expanded upon simply to fill time, not to be followed through to their logical ends and to be tied to the overall Lost story line.

@ Nicole'
"Actually, what I should have typed was, "ARE people not allowed to...?"

Exactly, if it was a question that is the right way. The way you wrote it sounded like a double negative, "People are NOT allowed..... WITHOUT..." is a double negative. So you either state it correctly as you did now or don't put a question mark as you did before.

I was not talking to you on my original statement, you took it upon yourself to address me directly, so take a chill pill yourself.

I think in the end, the series is not about the island. It's about Jack and his moral struggles, how he deals with right and wrong. He has to determine what he will do during his time on the island and define what is right and wrong. Only then does the series make any sort of sense. Once he decides that he must be the one who protects the island, and becomes selfless, so the others may have a chance to leave does the end make sense (if it does at all). As the other "survivors" of Oceanic 815 are in the church waiting for Jack, it is apparent that Jack was one of the first to die in the original crash. The island and everything else is a test (could the sideways be a dream sequence?).

I think the writers are brilliant. Similar to Shyamalan and his writing. The greatest perpetration is not on anyone onscreen. It is on the audience. I am glad I had the opportunity to be intrigued by a show that allowed me to think about the possible outcomes. I can't wait to own it on bluray.

@altoca: I took it upon myself to address you directly because it offends me when one shows such animosity towards strangers. Especially over something as insignificant as a tv show. People came here to discuss, not be insulted.

While the 'official' explanation can work, it still comes across as a 'Dallas dream' type explanation. You might just as well say that they all died in the crash and everything in the series is the product of Jack's dying brain generating the entire story. It is just as self-consistant and just as unsatisfying.

So, the name Christian Shephard...any correlation between the name and the ending? CHRISTIAN=Christ like; SHEPHARD=person who herds a flock....I'm not the most religious person, but it is right there...
Many people are upset because of the lack of answers. Unless you watch the whole series frame by frame, there is pretty good chance we all forgot some phrases, and key points. If they wanted to make the answers simple, I'm sure it would have gone the way of a90% of TV series' and give away the answers just because it's ending. The word 'Closure' hasn't really meant anything throughout the series, so why would the writers change that philosophy now?
Use your heads, instead of having the answer given to you.
Great series....When September rolls around, Lost-heads will have to find something else to do. A tall order.

Actually, all of the people on the plane died in the crash. Jack's father was referring to the rest of the people in the LOST world. Everyone in every scene was deceased and trying to remember and then move on to the afterlife. Many of those people arrived in limbo prior to the plane crash and many after they crashed. They were all intereacting with each other in limbo. It was easy for me to understand this because I believed that they were all dead and in limbo since the beginning of the second season. I have been watching the entire series from that perspective and everything made sense to me in the end. All questions were answered and I am left feeling satisfied with how everything finished.

@Nicole, then in addition to your poor grammar you are easily offended. I did not curse nor address anyone directly, especially you. If you are the type that likes to speak for everyone else then that's your prerogative.

Why does everyone assume that because Christian said the island was "real" that it meant they were alive? The island was obviously real and everything that happened while they were on it...but I don't think it happened in our time and space continuum and that they were alive. I think it was an midway place...or something like that. I don't think it matters what he was wearing...there is no way you would survive if you were in a plane like that and it dropped out of the sky and broke apart. if your plane fell out of the sky from 30,000 feet which is normally the level the transatlantic flights fly at, you would not be alive!! heck...the bodies are probably no where near the island. And Jack certainly wouldn't have been still wearing his tie!
Hence the shot at the end with all the wreckage left untouched....

The sci-fi fans were destined to be disappointed in the show. Sorry, guys – but this was never a real sci-fi show. It was about characters, fate and redemption. The sci-fi stuff was ALWAYS secondary. (And, in my opinion, forced and cheesy at times.)

When I saw the ending, I didn't "get it" at first. Once I thought about it, it made perfect sense. It was the simplest of endings and really couldn't have ended any other way.

Some forty years ago, there was a TV show from Britain that gave us an enigmatic location, a character that we cared about and a conflict that was (sort of) resolved in the final episode. It was called "The Prisoner" (poorly reimagined last year by AMC). Though there were still unanswered questions, the ending was a satisfying one as the main question was answered as Number Six seemed to triumph and got away from The Village. Perhaps that is the key to a show like this; introduce whatever you like in commentary on society, philosophy, whatever - but keep the main story SIMPLE.
"Lost" did not do this, but threw in just about everything but the kitchen sink in an effort to keep the show going. In the process, the producers/writers set the bar so incredibly - perhaps impossibly - high that very little could be answered satisfactorily. So, we fall back on the "relationships are important" ending... seems pretty lame after time travel and magic boxes and lights in caves, but at least it bring things to an end.

lol, the wreakage during the final credits had nothing to do with the plot!!! This is why people are so upset because everything about this show is left up to individual interpretation, lol. This show will be discussed for years. The writers are genius for that reason alone.

The Lost haters on here who say the finale was a waste of time and sucked obviously don't understand the ending or have't paid close enough attention to the clues given to them this season. Great show, great ending, going to miss it.

Sarah: As with all of the other unfeasible components of the show: time travel, smoke monster, etc., the notion that people could survive a 30,000 foot drop is simply another idea that one has to accept in order to accept the premise of the show.

I thought it was a great ending and I fully understood it the entire time. I even watched it again last night to clear all doubt about the ending I had. The plane wreckage at the very end was the Losties camp site. You can clearly see the hut/tent Jack made where he took care of the bounty hunter that had Kate in custody and you can even see another hut that is a little harder to make out. I found that part confusing the first time but watching it again and pausing it I realized it was just their camp/crash site.

Wow you didn't get it at all. I have been very amused at how many people were angry with the ending, and when you ask them why or what they thought it all meant, they just don't get it. The island happened, it was real. The flash sideways was not in the world we know, but a "purgatory". There should not have been any vanish. There was a strong message, of the people we meet before we move on, how those people help us to move to the next plain. The people most imporant in our lives come together after death, outside of time. I wish people could understand that time is a contridiction in terms.

I was very satisified with the ending and the brilliance, and the journey, not only for the lost people but for my viewership. The more I think about it the more I love it! I am going to wait 3 months and start the series again.

It astounds me that people equate good writing with "answering every question ever raised within a narrative." Plenty of other movies, television shows, books, Broadway shows, and comics choose to introduce elements to the audience without ever intending to fully disclose what those things might be. In fact, it usually works out better this way. One look at what Star Wars Episode 1 did to "the force" is all you need to prove this point. It's better left to the imagination of the viewer or reader to fill in those gaps and create their own theories. Nothing they could come up with would match what EVERYONE could want or expect from the mysteries they've put forth.

What the writers of Lost did was create a story with fantastic characters. Characters that we as an audience cared about and wanted to visit on a weekly basis. The fact that they managed (in my opinion at least) to wrap up and give closure to an uncharacteristically large cast of characters in a complete and satisfying way is astounding and is the truest testament to their writing abilities.

Thank you so much for giving us Lost – it's been an incredibly journey from start to finish and not a single moment is regretted. I look forward to see what you all work on next!

Michael: "It astounds me that people equate good writing with "answering every question ever raised within a narrative." Plenty of other movies, television shows, books, Broadway shows, and comics choose to introduce elements to the audience without ever intending to fully disclose what those things might be."

I think the writers had great potential but, sadly failed to live up to it. Not because of the unanswered questions, but because most of them turned out to be red herrings (i.e. they led the audience to think they were a big deal, but they were not).

Explaining Lost:
Fatalistic and Nihilistic microcosm of our world:
– The Island is real, and the things that happen there are real.
– The flash sideways is not real.
– There is a higher power (Jacob and MIB) on the island influencing things
– The moral goodness and ultimate goal of the higher power are not understood by the survivors, and may by good or bad
– Free Will is Destiny/Destiny is Free Will
– Many strange and inexplicable things happen
– Everyone dies sooner or later
– You go somewhere after you die, but it is not the goal
– In the end, the only things that matter are our relationships

Fatalistic because we are all going to die, have limited control in the face of higher powers, and have inexorable destiny.

Nihilistic because the higher powers are of questionable morality, many of the inexplicable things are not meaningful, and in the end the island didn't matter, only the relationships.

The writers supposedly had a complete story from beginning to end when the series began. The problem is the whole thing had to be rewritten after the pilot episode to include Jack as the main character. The part was initially written for Michael Keaton who was only going to appear in the pilot. But everyone, I assume test audience and producers, liked the Jack character and made him the center of the story. that kinda destroys the original intent and now writers have to scramble to alter the storyline to accommodate Jack.

You are spot on. These were the rules layed out in the onset. You have to accept the nonsensical to understand and make sense of the world. However all that was secondary to the character development which is the hallmark of any good story.

Obviously the writer watched Jimmy Kimmel, he just didn't listen. Kimmel's theory was that the entire series was Jack's 'purgatory'. Think about the opening...Jack's eyes open (obvious ending). Now he has to find his way, atone, reconcile his life. This is what the series was...it was all about Jack, and everyone else involved was just someone helping Jack get to where he needed to go..to let go. One can surmise that Jack died in a plane crash, maybe everyone else came from his reality and acted in his Island scenario to find his way. While Christian did say that everything that happened to Jack was real, someone from the plane did say, 'the plane didn't crash'. So maybe it wasn't Oceanic 815 that brought Jack on his journey. Maybe Jack had a heart attack on a plane during turbulence. (Appropriate Rose 'let go now' scenario.) But the actor himself, pretty much agreed with Kimmell that the series was Jack-centric from episode one. Everyone else was a player in his journey to the hereafter. Having heard this, I'm a lot less disappointed with the ending, though I wish I had an inkling 5 seasons ago that this might be the underlying theme.

I listened to Lindelof and Cuse over the past two seasons and two things they repeatedly stated helped me to enjoy the ending of the series. One is the aforementioned 'Midi-Chlorian' effect. The other is that they were going to reveal answers that would be important to the characters. It has always been a character driven show. Why would Jack care what the numbers mean? or where Jacob's mother came from or a lot of the other answers people feel they deserved. Watch it from the character's view not like you're watching CSI where the writers have to connect all of the dots and explain everything for their viewers.

When I say they died in the plane crash, I mean just that. I do not mean that they died on the island. The plane never reached that island because it is a place for the dead, not the living. The crash site that we see at the beginning of Lost is their entrance onto the island. The crash site that we see at the end of Lost is the wreckage of the actual flight that went down over the ocean. It has just washed up on a beach somewhere, not on the "island" as we know it.

Remember when you were a kid, and you broke something, and you made up a lie to keep yourself out of trouble? You blamed it on your sister, who said you did it. Then you made up another lie to make her look bad and implicate her again. Then you made up another one. And another one. Pretty soon you couldn't really remember what actually happened, or what would make sense. The writers made up so much stuff, just kept piling it on, because guess what: in reality they owe you ZERO. Tell you all the secrets? Oh that's selling out, no good writer worth his salt would do such a thing. Simply drop ridiculous plot lines and unexplainable science? Oh that's just leaving you guessing, what any good writer should do.

Really this whole thing was an exercise in America's current financial crisis. The writers knew they could write (buy) whatever they wanted, pile up these ridiculous ideas (bills) with no plans to ever explain them (pay them off), and the season finale (bailout/bankruptcy) would absolve them of responsibility. But in the ultimate plot twist, they made millions acting like stupid americans, while you got left holding the bag after spending years of your life devoted to this show.

1) What was that place that had the pool in it that brought Sayid back and put evil inside of him? Why weren't those guys in the "purgatory"?

2) I'm thinking Jack was purged from the cave of light to die, and so he wouldn't die inside, but why were those skeletons there? How was he purged and Hurley never saw him, and he wasn't purged the same way the man in black was.

Ok for all you brilliant people with all these different reasons for why and when and how they died.....its DYING not dieing. Sorry, but I'm OCD and it's starting to get on my nerves no one can spell a simple word correctly : )

I can't belive anyone would think you would survive a nuclear bomb blast from 1000 meters.

I liked LOST and watched all the shows and the ending in my opinion was creative "suicide". Although, it is a TV show, LOST held it out as something better and more intellectual than it was and in the end nothing was learned.. For all of you LOST geeks a number eight painted on a bunny doesn't have any significance to anything and if you took the time to determine it's significance your probably a loser.

I'm sure for those of you who "get" LOST really didn't and I would suggest you watch the entire series over and over again until all is completely uncoded...anything to keep you geeks off the roads.

Thank god there is still Two and a half men about a rich, drunk guy with hot chicks played by a rich drunk guy who has hot chicks.

I have mixed feelings about the ending. I just really wished they had answered more questions. I'm glad they only got me for a one year subscription to the LOST magazine, Dharma hat and the first two seasons on DVD. I'll torrent the rest of the seasons. Guess it's time to turn in my DVR which I rented only due to this show.

Can we please remember that this is a fictional show? It can be whatever the writers want it to be. They can change their minds as to what it means since it is all fiction. The series finale of ER could have had the entire hospital staff remove their heads and reveal themselves as aliens and send their loyal viewers into a frenzy. It is all make believe, move on, focus on what matters.

Wow. I guess what you can take from this whole series is that you should get out from in front of the TV and go have your own life. Make IT what you want it to be. You spent 6 years watching this show and the advertisements and other junk, and "Lost" out on the opportunity to meet real people, have conversations, fall in love, and experience life.

I didn't watch an episode of Lost. It's fiction, and while entertaining (I love movies), it is, indeed, fiction. The premise of TV is to provide some entertainment to people while reaping revenue from advertisements. I think the network succeeded wildly at their objective. Did you succeed at yours?

I do think Penny was there because she helped rescue them, remember? So they did have a relationship with her. And of course, since she was Des’ constant she was important to everybody.
I think Michael is still at the island, whispering, just like he said on Jimmy Kimmel (did you watch it? Really funny!), and I think Walt wasn’t there because he let go of these people and of what happened at the island a long time ago. There was an episode where Michael went after him and he pretty much refused to have a relationship with his father. I think that is when he moved on.
And I agree that Ben stay behind a little bit more to enjoy his purgatory, that in a sense was better than his real life.
If you watch the finale again, knowing the end, it makes more sense.

If the ghost of Christian Shepard was actually the man in black (which was confirmed in the re-cap AND series finale) AND the man in black couldn't leave the island, then WHY did we see dead Christian Shepard in LA, on the freighter, etc.

Ok, I do not understand why people hate the finale so much. I thought it was a great ending to a great series. So many people think it is a cop out. The flash sideways was almost pure fan service. They didn't need to show us what happened when they went to "move on." But they did and I loved it. The flash sideways was about how these people needed to remember the most important time in their lives. Christian clearly stated this.

What Jack needed to do on the island is done. He killed the darkness encarnate and saved the island and the world. The battle between good and evil has essentially been what the series has been about. People seem to be unhappy with the answers they longed for. I love them.

Damon and Carlton have on numerous occasions said they would leave questions unanswered. If they answered everything there would be no reason to continue to talk about it and theorize about it which is what LOST has gotten people to do for six years.

The ending was great. It was epic, it was dramatic, and it had a great conclusion. If you aren't a fan of the flash-sideways ignore it and just live with how the island ended. Hugo as the new Jacob.

I will miss LOST more than I can say, it has been incredible from beginning to end. If anyone wants to chat hit me up: jneuman13@gmail.com

I believe the writers basically were winging it show to show, and then figuring out how to tie them together each (week) episode. They wrote them selves into a corner and couldn't possibly tie it all together in the end with a conclussion. They knew that if they left parts unanswered that the audience would speculate and guess (just as they did every week) and some people would think they were very clever.
The writers just proved to us that they are NOT great writers at all in the final show. But boy did ABC sell a butt load of commercials!

lol, people acting like the writers owe them something in exchange for being a couch potato for six years!!! The comments are hilarious. You all sound like kids throwing a tantrum. You wasted your time, we understand. Now get over it!!

Ending was OK but not totally unexpected that everyone was dead.
What should have happened was that Bob Denver (Gilligan) would wake up in a cold sweat...it was just a dream. A dream that he had the night before he went on the four hour tour.

There may be a more simplistic explanation for the way the story turned out. They ran out of time and budget. Story line aside, their are real world aspects to deal with in. Let's face it. Filming in Hawaii isn't cheap. And like most all TV shows, networks and producers have no idea how the public will receive an idea. So their very well is the possibility they through things together the best they could as the success grew. Granted, you'll never hear anything like this because it detracts from the mystery intended to be created. Anyway, loved the series, just seems too many are putting a whole lot into a fictional TV show. Art does imitate life. There's more then enough mystery and intrigue in the real world.

It was a great ending to an amazing show, although it left us with many un-answered questions, people seem to forget what the message of that last episode was. "Let go," it is time for us to move on, who cares if the bottom of the island lit up like the flux capacitor right before the delorean travelled through time, i dont need to find out what every little thing in the show meant; and thats what made this series so great, week after week the show left you with questions, and in true Lost fashion, they ended the series with some questions that could be interpreted by anyone, anyway they want to. So I say "bravo Lost," well done.

Do you know anything about quantum physics? If you did then you would know that Back to the Future stated one couldn't exist in the same place at once or one would disappear... while LOST exists on the concept that all existed in a flexible time/space model... he may have lived in one parallel but that was his body in another for sure...

For TV series, its known that writers introduce some characters in between to drag the series...and then fail to tie those ends..

But LOST began with island & its sci-fi mystery, so the writers clearly had idea to begin with about the sci-fi mystery of the island and smoke..
Infact, they had started a big discussion on Yahoo Answers ..WHat do u think the black smoke is.."

Its absolutely nonsense to say that writers didnt know why they began season1 with mystic island

The ending was "acceptable," but it wasn't great. I really feel like if there were some questions that had to remain unanswered, they didn't choose the right ones.

I feel like, when the show first began, we wanted to learn the secrets of the Island, its history, and why the survivors of Flight 815 were "special." When it ended, we were left with glossed over answers, which tells me even the writers didn't know what was really going on with the island and its occupants.

You ever listen to a story told by a five-year old? It can be mildly entertaining but you're a fool to think it's going anywhere rational. For anyone who thought this show would provide answers in the end, and didn't see you were getting jerked around for years, you deserve the dissapointment you are feeling right now. I only kept watching to see how they'd try and get out of the larger and larger hole they kept writing themselves into each week.

I think we were all waiting for this really clever ending that tied everything up; I was waiting to see how clever the writers were going to be and instead was left disappointed. It was a nice, "feel good" ending, but not the one that was expected.

Why did the numbers pop up everywhere? Were the numbers simply arbitrary numbers Jacob assined to the candidtates? Why were they on the Dharma hatch? Or being read over the radio broadcast?

Love the show but it feels lamey-lame with all this stuff left hanging.

By the way: I think they should have a Lost: the Sequel with Hurley and Ben's exploits as leaders of the island!

Except, Anne, that the wreckage scene at the end was not part of the show. ABC added it. The beginning had the pure white sneaker hanging in the bamboo. The end had a weathered filthy sneaker handing in the bamboo, which showed the passage of time. They did not die in the initial crash. The wreckage at the end has nothing to do with the story........

I read a lot of comments above that made me wonder what people really wanted. An all-answering finale all tied up in a bow would have still left some unhappy.

I found this ending more confusing, but also a calm and serene way to wrap things up. While some mysteries were left unresolved (Who was airdropping supplies to Dharma all that time, Who made the original cork, when did it all start), the overall picture of what the series was about was very well represented in the finale.

We all do die and at different times. This was actually a nice way to see all of our characters...issues resolved, in peace, ready to move on. The producers would have done us a dis-service by telling us everything, because how can you. They were story telling devices, which worked very well. Answers to everything would dumb down a highly cerebral show and probably would have sounded hokey.

Just as Desmond's book, Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens, the show was serialized and presented as chapters....In terms of thinking of TV as a novel – I think it ended the way all literature should – As a thought provoking story that leaves the reader/watcher with a somewhat ambiguous view of what happens next. With this thinking, I move forward with LOST being the best book I've had the pleasure to watch.

It will continue to roll around inside my skull with various "what if's" and "maybe that actually meant that" – Which I think I will enjoy moving forward. People that feel they need an answer to everything should be patient. Their own minds may well give them the answer.

The answer to the numbers was explained in a couple different ways. The most rescent is that each number had a candidate associated with it. But also back in the "Lost Experience" (an interactive game where there were fake web sites set up to do research for a viral type of game) you will learn that the numbers were also part of a scientific equation called the "Valenzetti Equation" which was created to predict the time of human extinction. Essentially the numbers were variables in the equation which once the "Hanso Foundation" heard about created the Dharma innitiative to change the variables to give life a chance but were unable to do so. The exact quote from the Lost encyclopedia is ---

" The numbers, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42, are explained in the Sri Lanka Video, as the numerical values to the core environmental and human factors of the Valenzetti Equation. Alvar Hanso also states in the video that the purpose of the DHARMA Initiative is to change the numerical values of any one of the core factors in the equation in order to give humanity a chance to survive by, effectively, changing doomsday. However, Thomas Mittelwerk reveals that as of 2006, they have failed to change the values through manipulating the environment, as the equation continues to arrive at the same six numbers. It is unknown how or if the most recent calculation of the equation is automatically reflected in the radio transmissions."

There is alot more answers out there for those who aer willing to look.

in back to the future old Biff gave the almanac to young Biff. So your theory is shot. It's more like they can't occupy the same space in time, meaning they can't physically touch eachother. My point is when sawyer flashed forward in that particular time line he broke away from the time line that included his death. Prior to that all the events that led to his death were taking place. ie had he not moved in time he would've eventually died. He changed time for himself. but the time line that included his death still existed excepted the story didn't follow that timelime. Um K?

You wanted to know the ending. They told you. They gave you an answer, you are just having trouble accepting it. If you think you could have written something better, fine, that might be true. But in fact the writers of THIS story told THIS ending, and this is the way it worked. Puzzle over it, apply all the analytic and literary and traditional storytelling tools to it, but this is it.

The probability wave collapses, the golf ball drops, the lottery numbers are pulled, and however unlikely or personally unsatisfying, you get a definite result. This is it.

Stuff like this is largely why I don't watch shows of this type anymore. Call it the X Files Factor – basically, a bunch of interesting but ultimately unexplained stuff happens, and it strings you along until the show ends for whatever reason (no longer profitable, etc.) at which point the writers promptly do a half-assed job of wrapping things up because mentally they're already halfway out the door to their next gig. Call me unimaginative if you will, but I like my entertainment to have an actual ending from time to time instead of this open-ended "you can interpret it any way you want" stuff, or, worse yet, the insufferably arrogant Sopranos "it's all there if you just think about it" line.

After reading the post I found out that I am more of a Lost geek then I thought I was. I don't have all the answers to the show but a lot of the questions people have asked and are frustrated over were answered on the show already. Polar Bears-Dharma. Why Jin and Sun died as canidates? MIB couldn't kill them, per Jacobs rules. MIB didn't kill them Sayid and Sawyer did. It would have been nice to find out more about the "light" and smoke monster but it probably wouldn't have added to the story. Witmore want to harness the eletromagnet energy on the island. Walt and Michael not in the church? So what, if you noticed it was all couples in the church (except Christian Sheppard). And all the couples, except Penny and Desimond, meet and fell in love on the island.
My question to all the "Finale Haters", name me one tv show that the finale solved every little tid-bit of information ever on the show?

I do understand why people think the island was real based on what Christian said to Jack, but remember Penny was there with them in the final scene. She could have been the one of those who died later, so to speak. The REASON I believe they were dead at the plane crash is because how does an ALIVE, PAST Jack then bleed from his neck as as a FUTURE, DEAD Jack? All of these scenes or flashes were part of Jack moving on....

Bottom line: this show was about Jack. It was that he died (apparently in a plane crash) and worked through several issues before moving on. The other people on the island were either people he knew in a previous life or part of the process. The eye opening and eye closing was a way to say this is where the process began and where the process ended. This best explains why there is NO need to explain the island, Locke walking, smokey, etc. NONE OF IT WAS REAL. Jack was dead the entire time! The show was about him and him only working through the process of his father, his need to "save the world", his love life, etc.

For those of you who didn't like how the series ended, I too thought it way on the anti-climatic side.
Just do everyone a favor, remember the names of the writers of the show. Then simply read who wrote what you're about to watch or read. If it's one of them, then simply ignore it and " let go and move on".
I'm one of the millions who thought all along that they were all probably dead. But I thought then, how could the writers do something like that? It's such a cop-out. They'll think of something better......Nope.

I watch a few episode of this show and found it low to moderately entertaining. It had many echoed story lines from the old “Twilight Zone” and “Outer Limits.” Add the “X-file” halo effect and I guess you get this type of show. The religious allegories and pseudo-Dante’s works was witty.

I saw yer questions and sorry Sparky but I ain't got the answers. I think ABC needs to have a spin-off: "Jack & Kate + Fate". It'll be a comedy though. It'll have a laugh track and they can get the writers from AfterM*A*S*H.

The show is over why are we still seeing articles about this show on your site? This is a prime example of dumb our society has become. There is nothing creative about tv shows or music anymore. This new generation of kids are morons and the music they listen to and the movies made for them is an example of how bumb they are. The future of this country is not looking good...and your worried about democrats and republicans?!

You ever listen to a story told by a five-year old? It can be mildly entertaining but you're a fool to think it's going anywhere rational. For anyone who thought this show would provide answers in the end, and didn't see you were getting jerked around for years, you deserve the dissapointment you are feeling right now. I only kept watching to see how they'd try and get out of the larger and larger hole they kept writing themselves into each week.

I thought the finale was a very good way to end the series. I am very satisfied with it. For those who are looking for answers to every little things, you should of known you weren't going to get every answer. However, they answered most of those questions. The answers are there if you look for them. They may not have come out and answered it directly, but they did so indirectly through other characters and other events. You just have to look for them. This has always but a character driven show. The main thing in this show were the characters and their development, relationships, atonement and reconciliation. The Island was always a distant second to the characters, so not answering every little thing about the Island isn't such a big deal. This show has always been up for people's interpretation about the events and everything, and has had spiritual undertones to it. Like anything dealing with spirituality and religion, there is alot for individuals to interpret based on their beliefs. That is true with this show, they left unaswered question to leave up to people to decide for themselves what the answer is just like in religion and spirituality issues.

Anywho, good way to end the show. I think it was a fantastic series that was very well written all the way through. I remember learning that a good work of literature left the reader wanting more and leaving things questions which Lost did.

Lost is over..... yes it was a great ride and I will miss the entertainment of it. I thought the show gave me something to ponder until the next episode and not many shows now-a-days do that, and for that I am greatful. I thank the writers and the network for the 6 years of being frustrated til the next season..and somethimes it seemed like an eternity. Too bad they're all dead now they can't have a movie or a spinoff series.

Seriously people? You're getting this upset over a show?
It's ending was perfect. The show opened with Jack's eyes opening to the crash scene on the island & ended with his eyes finally closing. All of it in a nutshell is all about Jack fighting death (the smoke monster) & finally "letting go" in the end & going in to the light. All six seasons was about Jack's interpretation of his own pergatory. It's time to move on people.....

Now scroll up and reread all of those comment, questions, responses, as though we were saying and asking these things about our very own LIVES, our existence, our purpose, our story, our details, our 'ending'.

These are the same beliefs, questions and reactions that all of us have about our own lives and existence–and ask every day.

What's great about the show, among other things, is that it was able to mirror that:

"People just assumed it would all make sense in the end."
"Why did that bad thing happen to good people?
Why did that 'loving/good' person do that bad thing?
What was the significance of _______?? [insert incidental detail here]
"What about polar bears?"
How does all this really work?
"I thought the end was awesome. And beyond many peoples comprehension"
"not all questions will be answered."
I have mixed feelings about the ending. I just really wished they had answered more questions."
"OMG people it is make believe"

"I'm ok with the ending however I would now like to see another series that deals with the "Island" in the years prior to Jacob and MIB and during the years from their birth to the present day. Sounds like another great series to me. All new actors and characters. There are still alot of unanswered questions with many story lines to be told."

I enjoyed the ending, but sooo many questions need to be answered...sure I could use my imagination, but that's too much like work ;)

I was partially satisfied with the ending. It is great to think that everyone you've ever helped or cared about will be there in your final journey, whatever belief you have (did anyone else notice the plethora of religious objects around the church?). And the fact that there was no time in the flash sideways, so whenever everyone else died, they were all there was phenominal. After investing in these characters for so long, it's good to see that they are in a better place. What I felt unfulfilled on was the island. I did not get closure on the island, and still don't know that more about it than when I started. Overall... I'll give it a B. Thanks for all the years!

For a show that has spent six years making a reputation for itself by not answering questions, you’d think that since the finale answered barely any questions people wouldn’t be surprised? But you are all only human after all, human and weird.

I still love lost, it gave me six years of not having to watch a stupid reality tv show for one night.

I, personally, did not like that ending. That said I think the ending fit as part of the series. The series was from the start the conflict between the "Man of Science" and the "Man of Faith". It was Jack and Locke in Season 1.. then we find out the same science/faith struggle occurred thousands of years earlier between Jacob and MiB. The ending drew a line in the sand. If you liked it you are with Team Man of Faith, and if you didn't (me) you are with Team Man of Science. I have to KNOW things, not believe them. It's not enough for me to see the light, I have to know how it works. This is why I don't understand the faith and "just believe" crowd.. if you just believed everything and didn't want to understand, then there would NEVER be any progress to our culture and lives. Just like Jacob lived pretty much the same as he did when he arrived, MiB made things, and tried to understand WHY things worked the way they did. He made the donkey wheel, he made, a time machine out of sticks and rocks, how cool is that!! I wanted SO much more out of the ending, but that is it, after six years, I'm left wanting...

1 – Numbers: The numbers particularly relate to the valenzetti equation. It was explained in one of the "missing pieces" released during one of the shows breaks. Look it up, it has to do with the ending of the world and what not.

2 – Walt – He was just special. They didn't ever explain why hurley could see the dead or why Miles could communicate with them. I don't really see it as being very important. Just know that in the lost universe people have special powers.

3 – Healing – The light source obviously provides some form of healing. Ben got cancer because he and the others were living in houses using refrigerators. The island is too special to treat it like a suburb.

4 – Pregant – One of the producers said the issue started after detonation of jughead by Juliet.

5 – Mother – she was the island's protector, although not necessarily the original. She killed Jacob and MiB's Mom because she saw an opprotunity to have companionship and an ability to replace herself when the time came.

6 – MiB – if he wasn't evil before going down the yellow hole, he definitely was afterwards. As explained by Ab Aeterno, the island kept him from leaving because he would destroy the world if he got out.

7 – Jack did get hurt by the light. Hurt so much that he died from his actions.

8 – The pool obv has the power to bring people from near death like what happened to young Ben after Sayid shot him. However, this time it was MiB's "infection" that got Sayid back to life and not Jacob.

9 – People come to the island quite frequently. It is natural that some of them would be candidates and could be pulled over to the others' side. Sort of like what happened with the kids from Oceanic 815.

10 – The island is mysterious and powerful and its mystery is only exceeded by its power. Widmore should have been on the island and always wanted to get back. Seems like its a pretty natural feeling to go back once you have left. It appears he was on the side of Jacob. So not sure if that's the good or bad intentions because Lost has always been pretty murky with those distinctions.

There are more answers than many realize, however they are not as definitive as one might expect.

Jacob told Kate that he crossed off her name because she became a mother. That it was just a name on a rock and the job as candidate was still hers if she wanted it. We also heard other comments about Jacob's "rules" in the finale. I think the audience under-estimates how much Jacob imposed his own ideals on the island, many of which were mommy related.

It is my interpretation that Jacob made a rule about no babies on the island. Since Jacob controls some of the island's abilities, no one was able to birth a child on the island. Then comes Claire, for whom the birthing of her child is part of her journey to 'letting go' so she becomes an exception.

Also, only the crash survivors were able to heal. That's how they survived. They were Jacob's choices. Ben was not so he couldn't heal.

Walt was special because he was a child. Just like Jacob and MIB were told they were special when they were kids. Like all children, he was able to see things in a way that adults no longer do.

Jack was not hurt by the light because he was the chosen one. MIB was not the chosen one.

"You wanted to know the ending. They told you. They gave you an answer, you are just having trouble accepting it. If you think you could have written something better, fine, that might be true. But in fact the writers of THIS story told THIS ending, and this is the way it worked. Puzzle over it, apply all the analytic and literary and traditional storytelling tools to it, but this is it.

The probability wave collapses, the golf ball drops, the lottery numbers are pulled, and however unlikely or personally unsatisfying, you get a definite result. This is it."

The show spreads across multiple religions and there are references of each throughout the show and symbolism on the island. I think this is brilliant as it prompts one to learn about different religions and cultures.

One example is the white/black, light/dark balance. This is Yin/Yang – everyone knows this symbol. Yin and Yang are dependent opposing forces that flow in a natural cycle, always seeking balance. Though they are opposing, they are not in opposition to one another. They are merely two aspects of a single reality – each contains the seed of the other, which is why we see a black spot of Yin in the white Yang and vice versa. They do not merely replace each other but actually become each other through the constant flow of the universe.

This explains the Jacob & Man in Black relationship – they are not good/evil, but rather opposing forces in balance. The light is the energy and the water represents the 'flow'.

This is just one, there are so many other references that can be discussed. Brilliant.

Did I miss something? What was the point of Juliet detonating the H bomb to correct the timeline (or something to that effect) and "make it as if the plane never crashed", if the flash-sideways is only purgatory?

I think they did all die in the initial plane crash, but their souls weren't ready to "let go" yet. I think "the island" was them lingering between purgatory and heaven. Those who gave into temptation, greed, etc and who continued to "break bad" descended into purgatory and "off" the island, so to speak. Those who fought to right their wrongs and do right by others made it off the island (in different ways- the final plane, "death", etc) and into heaven (the final scene in the church). For them, heaven was a place where they could be together and a place where they were finally complacent and safe.

I think Ben didn't want to go in because he wasn't quite ready. He did a lot of bad in his life and I don't think he was quite finished making up for it yet.

The genius of the finale is that .....just as in real lfe.....there are no answers to it's mysteries.....especially those surrounding who we are, why we are here and where are we going. Each individual with the help of hischosen faith or philosophy is left to 'draw his/her own conclusions' about the 'darkness at the edge of town'

I share some of the frustration at the loose ends, but let's try to remember that a finale is NOT the series and neither is it the sole reason for watching a show like LOST. Just as in life, it's the journey that matters, not the destination, although personally I think this destination was pretty damned good, loose ends and all.

Why does everyone believe they were dead the whole time on the island!?? Did you not hear what Jack's dad told him??? The island was real! Duh!

Besides the crash site pictures at the end were NOT part of the show. ABC made a huge error in judgement here putting them in there for viewers to "decompress" before the news! It has NOTHING to do with the show! ABD network made an official statement!!! LOST ended with Jack's beautiful eye closing.
The story was beautiful! The character journey's were amazing! Polar bears are irrelevant in the whole story arc!

At first, I was very disappointed in the ending, but then it occurred to me that by going in this direction, ABC left open the possibility for a spin-off (call it FOUND). By saying that Hurley was a good #1 and Ben a good #2, we can revisit the island during their reign to learn the answers to some of the questions. In addition, they can now go back in Island time to slowly answer all those questions. I don't think they will do this, but with all the crappy shows on TV...why not?

Loved it! Very creative and satisfying and a great payoff for the 6 years! Thanks JJ and Bad Robot! I do not get all the flak over the ending. It made perfect sense (!).
Remember that the island was the primary storyline, not the sideways.

On the main/’real’ island storyline, Smokey/Evil Locke is defeated though Jack ultimately dies from his battle and resetting the stone. Hugo, Ben and Desmond are left on the island. Frank, Kate, Sawyer, Miles, Claire and the newly aging Richard escape on the plane. All the action of the island over the past six seasons really did happen. Not sure why so many people are thinking it did not. The image of dying Jack laying on his back next to Vincent, then smiling as he sees the plane fly overhead is absolutely perfect!

The sideways storyline is really where the twist of the finale occurs: It’s not an alternate reality of the losties’ lives as if the plane never crashed. The sideways was outside of time, and was an existence where the losties, after each of their individual deaths, whether seen on the show or not, whether past, present or in the future on the island storyline, were drawn together by the weight of their experiences together on the island. This is where everyone was always already dead. They wanted to meet again before moving on. As they all met (thanks to Des), they really were “letting go”. And the meeting again of the old friends was very moving–poetic in fact!

Great answers. I agree with them all. I think it was such a great finale, and a fitting end. I feel like everything was answered. The island wasn't purgatory – I really wish people would stop saying that. I can't figure out where they're getting that from. It was made very clear that that wasn't the case. The alternate reality was purgatory / limbo where they all had to sort themselves out and come together before moving on.

True Ending – Bob Newhart wakes up next to a snowglobe (St Elsewhere reference) and tells it he had a weird dream where he was a doctor on an island with stupid people. The snowglobe then replies...Not Reality...ACTUALITY!

Could the glowing light be the last shred of intelligence burning out from people thinking they could learn something from a TV show?

I dunno, just saying, since I never watched this show after the first episode and realized hmm John Locke...could this be the writers version of redemption? oops sorry I wont talk about books anymore

I have to state my opinion concerning the wreckage at the end of the show. Several people have stated that it was the wreckage from the plane on which Jack, Kate, Miles, etc used to leave the island. Others have stated that it did not have anything to do with the story. I believe that it not only has something to do with the story but also helps explain the statue (foot). The wreckage was from the original Oceanic 815 plane. It shows what was left of the group of people that came to the island at that time. The same goes for the Dharma camp and the Black Rock. Both were the remains of past groups that have been on the island – possibly groups of previous candidates. The statue is exactly the same thing – remains of a past group on the island. Look at the wreckage, camp, Black Rock and the statue as scars on the island. Evidence of past struggles that have taken place.

Another statement I need to make concerns the polar bears. It surprised me that several people do not understand the purpose of the polar bears being on the island. I have seen it stated that they were experiments for the Dharma camp. The polar bears were instruments that were used to move the island. Prove – Sawyer and Kate were in the cages and there was a training tool where the bears had to push certain buttons to receive food. Sawyer was seen doing this. When Ben went to turn the wheel to move the island, the temperature was very cold. Also, part of Charlotte’s story showed her in the desert over a bear skeleton with a Dharma tag. The polar bears where being trained to go down and turn the wheel to move the island. That way the island could be moved to protect it, if needed, but no one would be exiled from the island in doing so. I thought that this was clear a few season ago but needed to state it do to other comments.

I think the makers of lost were lucky that the first three seasons of loast hooked most people, because the last episodes and the finale really stunk up the joint.

Life in general is full of many questions and mysteries, but usually when i watch a movie or show I want to be presented with a strong opinion or a central theme of sorts, not open ended questions where I am left to ponder the meaning behind a movie or end without true closure

Don't get me a wrong an intelligent movie show is great, such as sixth sense, where most people were shocked at the ending, but yet felt that the movie provided closure and answered all the questions fo the viewers.

Lost is not like this, and leaves to many questions open. It is a half baked in the sense that it has many small themes but no central theme that is truly thought out to the end.

LBF, think. Maybe I am wrong. Not the point. If you see it from my point of view, the sneaker makes since. The clean sneaker was a product of a journey into the netherworld. That sneaker wasn't in the living world. Not to even mention that a sneaker probably wouldn't be pristine after an explosive plane crash...it is improbable there would have been survivors...and had there been survivors, the physical toll it would have taken on them would have been visible (no one changed on the island...especially Hurley...)

The sneaker at the end was the way it would have appeared. At that moment, Jack was in past, present, and future as he lay dying. It was a melding of everything, a climax.

Whether you agree or not is up to you. That's the point of the show. I'm just giving you the knowledge I have from a completely philosophical point of view.

Hopefully the writers will answers some of the common questions we all have in a future Interview or something (unless restricted by ABC). To be honest LOST can have many endings and writers did their best to end it with the finale that we all saw. Use your imagination and come up with your own answers...Talk to other LOST fans may be this will comfort you : )

I loved the ending, I feel like the gathering at the end was an anolgy for us (the viewers) to "let go" of the show. Perfect ending. I would have felt cheated if they had made it so that nothing on the island mattered and they all landed safely in LA.

I think they did all die in the initial plane crash, but their souls weren't ready to "let go" yet. I think "the island" was them lingering between purgatory and heaven. Those who gave into temptation, greed, etc and who continued to "break bad" descended into purgatory and "off" the island, so to speak. Those who fought to right their wrongs and do right by others made it off the island (in different ways- the final plane, "death", etc) and into heaven (the final scene in the church). For them, heaven was a place where they could be together and a place where they were finally complacent and safe.

I think Ben didn't want to go in because he wasn't quite ready. He did a lot of bad in his life and I don't think he was quite finished making up for it yet.

___________

Think it all you want. The producers have said that is incorrect. If you want to say you know the show better than the producers, you go right ahead. Don't let that pesky little thing known as the truth get in your way.

Did I miss something? What was the point of Juliet detonating the H bomb to correct the timeline (or something to that effect) and "make it as if the plane never crashed", if the flash-sideways is only purgatory?
_______

They detonated the bomb *hoping* that would happen.....they were wrong.

So here are some question that I would like answered... I haven't got a chance to read everyone's comments because most of them are are ridiculous anyways. But these aren't questions that have answers...just want people's opinions...

1. Was Widmore (sp?) good or bad?

2. How come Jack did not turn into a smoke-thing when MIB did? We know why Desmond didn't, but why Jack?

3. How much did Jacob actually know about the island that he was protecting?

4. Although MIB became the smoke monster- how come it was so important that he did not leave the island? (He really didn't seem like a bad guy in life-he just wanted to leave)

5. What was the point of Jacob drawing people to the island? I know he ultimately wanted to find a candidate for replacement, but it does seem like he was playing a game with MIB.

Not to bash the other people commenting on this thread, but I feel like it's quite possible many of you missed the point of the entire show. What made LOST good was the fact that we – the viewers – always had questions. It's what kept us talking about it every week debating theories. If the series ended in a nice, neat little package with a ribbon on top, it wouldn't have kept true to LOST. I would've been extremely annoyed had it ended with answers to all of our questions. It was a brilliant ending to an amazing show.

I am SO glad I never got into this show. Never even watched a single episode. It's just nauseating to listen to people debate what everything "means". I'm extremely happy it's over. That's my favorite part of the finale, no more Lost discussions.

Ok, I've got it! A new series: The New Adventures of Ben and Hurley! Think about it. Ben and Hurley are now in charge of the Island, presumadly great numbers one and two. What must have happened while those guys were in charge! Ooooooo, wait. Here you go: Let's say, a plane crashes, there are survivors who are....Lost. We see the whole thing unfold from the perspective of the Island masters. Awsome, right?

In the end we can all come to one unified agreement. "Lost” left us lost. Lost for answers, closure and just plain "LOST". Episode after episode we were just left lost with no answers. The writers and producers could not have come up with a more appropriate name for this series. “LOST”

LBF, by the way, I do like your mention of the sneaker. It was a very astute observation. I just think you misinterpret the symbolism of it.

I believe the shoe symbolizes a journey, not the passage of time. It is evidence that the journey was "real." Now whether that reality occurred while Jack was living or it was a journey after he died is all we are debating.

So, call me John and I will call you Jack. You believe in science, that it is because it is. You want the facts. I believe in faith, that life continues after death. And that was the point I believe, to make the audience debate this epic struggle.

In the end we can all come to one unified agreement. "Lost” left us lost. Lost for answers, closure and just plain "LOST". Episode after episode we were just left lost with no answers. The writers and producers could not have come up with a more appropriate name for this series. “LOST”
_________

Says who? Plenty of people got it. Just because you didn't, you think you can just universally decide something for the rest of us? Wow, someone has a seriously overinflated sense of self-importance.

You either didn't like it, or didn't get it. Either way, that is on you. It isn't on the rest of us. Many of us got it, and many of us liked it.

The only thing "lost" is your ability to accept that other people got it and liked it.

Why would an ending that erases the entire history of the show been more satisfying? THAT would have been the ultimate cop-out and would have really been an awful trick for fans who invested in these characters and shed tears when awful things happened to them.

What's great and bold about the how "Lost" is ended is everything that happened on the island, happened. On off the island, too. Did the real john Locke die a terrible death in a dingy motel? Yep. Did Jin and Sun drown in the sub? Yep. No do-overs. Yes, it's very tragic for these characters we loved, but THAT's what makes it an emotional experience and I would never want it washed away with a magic wand of, "oh, let's just turn back time and they'll all be okay now".

Some had sad, tragic deaths, others lived full lives, but they all connected again in the afterlife, which to me is a sublime way for the series to end.

It really surprises me how many of you LOST fans really did not get the show. This show was more akin to literature than other TV shows. And the story was fantastic. It kept all of us guessing until the last 10 minutes, and then it took a few days for it all to really sink in. The series was incredible on so many levels, and so many of you are missing the point. I think if you didn't like the ending or didn't get the ending it says more about you than it does about the show. This ending did not "suck" rather it is what it is. And what happened happened.

The series was engaging from the start because it was a big budget production, with an amazingly attactive cast, forced to live together on a mysterious, yet beautiful island. In other words – a can't miss sales pitch to any network trying to compete with the reality-driven Survivor shows clogging the airwaves.
Early on, we as viewers often felt the series could go on forever (in a twilight-zone sort of way), so long as the writers continued to introduce new story lines surrounding the lives of the various people on the island and slowly continued to weave it all together. When ratings started going down, they brought in new, even more interesting characters. As loyal viewers, we were already invested in the series and happily continued on the ride – though it became increasingly obvious that the show was going off on too many tangents.
Once it became clear that this series could not finanically continue indefinitely, the producers announced an end date which would answer all the questions – and thus keep hold of its core viewers. Great – a novel approach to TV. A reward for the loyal viewer.
So, it continued – and veered astray at times, but remained entertaining.
In the end, season 6 fizzled out as they guided toward the safe – but ultimately weak, faith-driven ending. This was particularly disappointing to those who enjoyed the man of science approach that Jack displayed so well early on in the series. After all, Jack was the leader because he was an educated doctor who could heal people (not with magic, but with knowledge). When you are shipwrecked on an island, you NEED this type of person. Unfortunately, you can't have lanswers that combine science and faith – it just doesnt work. So, in the end, the writers had no other choice but to go in the direction they did.
Remeber, there is no scientist on earth (nor will there ever be) who can explain time travel, ghosts, black-smoke monsters, communicating with the dead, bright light magical wells, etc., since its all just b.s. You live, you watch TV, you die. We got the ending that we knew we would get all along. In other words – what did we REALLY expect to happen?
It was a fun ride that allowed viewers to escape their own boring, hum drum lives for an hour or so a week. Nothing more. I enjoyed it for what it was and have no regrets.

I am SO glad I never got into this show. Never even watched a single episode. It's just nauseating to listen to people debate what everything "means". I'm extremely happy it's over. That's my favorite part of the finale, no more Lost discussions.

_______

And yet, hating the lost discussions, you choose to join in on one.

Um, yeah....whatever.....

If it nauseates you, why on earth are you reading it then?

Should we call 911 and report the person holding the gun to your head forcing you to read this?

Alright. Hear this. Of ALL the millions of posts on the internet the past few days, NOT A SINGLE ONE has been able to convince me that 'the island was the real world'. That statement I just cannot accept. I could be missing an example or a certain moment from the show, but I say that the entire 6 season show was focusing on Jack. Jack is the center of the Lindelof/Cuse universe. All the people that we had seen, from the minor Dr. Arzt (sp?) to the significant Kate, were people Jack probably died along side on the Oceanic 815 flight. Other people that were peripheral characters could be caricatures of people he knew in his life, creations of his own mind in order to deal with the issues he had in his life, OR people who were already in the 'purgatory' that is the island. (please don't harp on me about the use of the word purgatory – I simple mean that the island is a final testing place for these people to see if they have what it takes to redeem themselves by being selfless and wanting to help others before helping themselves. (example – Jack staying behind to keep the island intact by placing the cork back in its place so the Kate, Miles, Claire, etc could live and leave the island) ( example – Ben realizing the selfish, manipulative things he did on the island ( wanting to control everything and everyone, wanting and retaining power so badly that it ultimately gets his daughter Alex killed) For Jack, perhaps the 'flashbacks' were his life as he remembered them and the 'flashforwards' were his denying that he is dead and wanting to go back to the real world? This can apply for all those characters that had flashbacks and flashforwards.

Why does everyone believe they were dead the whole time on the island!?? Did you not hear what Jack's dad told him??? The island was real! Duh!

Besides the crash site pictures at the end were NOT part of the show. ABC made a huge error in judgement here putting them in there for viewers to "decompress" before the news! It has NOTHING to do with the show! ABD network made an official statement!!! LOST ended with Jack's beautiful eye closing.
The story was beautiful! The character journey's were amazing! Polar bears are irrelevant in the whole story arc!
_________

I have to admit, I liked seeing the plane wreckage as the credits rolled.

It allowed me two things:

1) A chance to think back to the pilot episode, and reflect on the entire 6-year experience

2) A chance to ponder that, out of something as tragic as a serious place crash, a small group of people who had nothing going for them in their lives were able to come together and bond so strongly, that they couldn't move on after death until they all came together again. That was a very powerful feeling.

Why does everyone believe they were dead the whole time on the island!?? Did you not hear what Jack's dad told him??? The island was real! Duh!

Besides the crash site pictures at the end were NOT part of the show. ABC made a huge error in judgement here putting them in there for viewers to "decompress" before the news! It has NOTHING to do with the show! ABD network made an official statement!!! LOST ended with Jack's beautiful eye closing.
The story was beautiful! The character journey's were amazing! Polar bears are irrelevant in the whole story arc!
_________

I have to admit, I liked seeing the plane wreckage as the credits rolled.

It allowed me two things:

1) A chance to think back to the pilot episode, and reflect on the entire 6-year experience

2) A chance to ponder that, out of something as tragic as a serious plane crash, a small group of people who had nothing going for them in their lives were able to come together and bond so strongly, that they couldn't move on after death until they all came together again. That was a very powerful feeling.

I thought the finale was actually really good – it was a lot like Angel – you didn't get all of the answers and it left a lot of items open to speculation, but it gave a lot of closure as well. How much more closure could you get from getting off of the island or having the lead character dying happy?

There are a lot of nimrods still talking about everyone dying on the plane. Was the show that hard to understand? People lost on an island. Mysterious creatures. Crazy time traveling. You are candidates. It is called science fiction.

Alright. Hear this. Of ALL the millions of posts on the internet the past few days, NOT A SINGLE ONE has been able to convince me that 'the island was the real world'. That statement I just cannot accept.
______

That is your choice. Many others did accept it. The producers made their point clear. You choose to disbelieve it all that is up to you.

Brilliant!!! I loved the finale!! The reason I say brilliant is because after 2 days of the show being over a new battle has erupted!!! The battle between those who LOVED it and those who HATED it! A battle that will last for many years. Kudos to the producers..you got what you wanted and I love it!

On another note...my brother hated it when I told him I had to go watch Lost! He thought it was "corny", but after the finale I got a text message from him saying..."that was beautiful"!! Now that's "corny"!! He really liked the ending eventhough he didn't see one episode..he got the point!!

About ABC adding the last images of the wreckage without the writers knowledge in order to "soften" the transition: It is absurd to think that ABC would take the liberty to add something to the artistic integrity of the show without the writers' prior knowledge and consent. These images with the white noise of the waves crashing did not soften anything, it made it stand out in stark contrast. This statement ABC issued is simply a marketing tool. Keep the buzz going. But it was unnecessary.

2 Its because he wasn't dead or his heart was pure. Remember when MiB went down there he was dead and the light was on. Further his body was spit out much like Jacks (my interpretation)

3 At 1st he didn't know much, but after being on the island for years he learned. Also he set his own standard of rules as stated by Ben to Hurley.

4 For him to leave the cork had to be removed. Since Jocab told Richard removing the cork meant evil would be released, maybe that's what Jacob understood would happen. As we saw, removing the cork meant violent earth quakes and total destruction. Kinda like God telling Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit. They didn't know what would happen, but it was something bad. All jacob knew was that evil came out when his brother went in.

5 Jacob brought the castaways there to kill smokey. To correct the mistake he made. Richard got him to be proactive about it. And as he stated they were all flawed and had nothing left in their lives. Jacob was not a diety. he was a human being with eternal life. As such he was capable of human characteristics.

Did they ever explain why Witmore wanted to capture Ben so badly that he executed his daughter in front of him? I don't recall them answering why Ben was so important to him that Witmore needed to shoot his daughter.

I firmly believe (as I did from very early on in the series) that the whole show was all about Jack. A writer (Mike from San Francisco) has it all right. Jack was dying and the whole show was based on his thoughts as he floundered between life and death and his own thoughts about heaven and hell and "what ifs." Every single person on the show was in his hospital at one time, that's how they got into his thoughts. If you listened to the "sounds" in the show throughout the years, you would have heard all kinds of hospital noises (blood pressure machines, heart monitors, etc.) All the people he met at the church at the end did die, they probably died in the hospital – he sees them there because he has accepted their deaths and ultimately his own. The end.

To make you feel better, assuming you did not spend as much time discussiong other episodes as you are discussing the finale:

LOST had 120 episodes, if you skip the commercials, you spent less than 100 hours to watch all 6 seasons, or less than 5 days!!

So you did not waste 6 years of your life, just 5 days.
That of course doesnt take away your spouse and children's feelings that they had to stick with TV night rather than doing something else for 120 weeks....

Hmmmm I really loved the reunion/recognition scenes but I don't think this was the right ending.
Here's an alternative ending:
Dawn breaks through a window and we Sun lying in bed in a hotel room. Jin's in the shower in the bathroom, comes out all drippy wet and towels himself off waking Sun in the process who has this look of shock to her face as she realizes EVERYTHING was just a dream.

The cop-out ending worked for Dallas, might as well have used it here too.

When I sat down to watch the finale of Lost I knew there would be unsolved questions. I don't really understand why people need to find the answers about a show named Lost. It began with the characters being Lost, faced with dilemmas in which they were Lost.....Many times their goals were reached and efforts to which they applied themselves to Lost and replaced with new dilemmas. The characters had lives, past and future which were lost. The children were lost. The mystery of Jacob and his brother was lost.Several characters lost their minds. Many characters lost their failures and illnesses......We have no idea where some of the characters went... Mr.Echo, lost in smoke....Do you really expect to find the answers to a show named LOST? There are no answers when you are lost, come on people. I guess I could bemoan the hours I spent watching Lost ,however I did find it entertaining and fell in love with the characters. So...J.J. Abrams got bored and wanted to write a new story...Whatever, I'll watch it. He tells a good story.

> 2. How come Jack did not turn into a smoke-thing when MIB did?
> We know why Desmond didn't, but why Jack?

Because, the guy who turns people into Smokey only works on Tuesdays between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. Jack entered the cave at 11:30 a.m. on a Sunday and thus the guy wasn't there to turn him into the Smoke Monster. (And since Lindelof and Cuse didn't explain this, this explanation is as good as any).

> 3. How much did Jacob actually know about the island that he was > protecting?

Not much. He only knew what his "mother" told him and she was crazy.

> 4. Although MIB became the smoke monster- how come it was so
> important that he did not leave the island? (He really didn't seem
> like a bad guy in life-he just wanted to leave)

If his only way to leave the island was to lose his smokey powers and become mortal again, then that means he would be merely an evil man once he was back in the real world, one of many millions. Thus, his potential to destroy the earth was all hype and makes no sense at all. Another red herring from Cuse and Lindelof.

> 5. What was the point of Jacob drawing people to the island? I know > he ultimately wanted to find a candidate for replacement, but it does > seem like he was playing a game with MIB.

He enjoyed the carnage of seeing the MIB kill off the ones that were not candidates. It was very amusing for him since he was bored from living for 2,000 years.

I'm pretty sure the writers and directors for this series used to work for and were fired by BP. What a mess of an ending. Nothing came together in the end and the oil mess of a show is still flowing strong.

The sideways world was not purgatory. It was a construct of reality where time moved differently. In the end there was no "now" as Christian S. said. Life in the real world moved at different time, and when the person was ready to move on, they did. The characters made their reality. Its kind of like philosophically saying "reality is what you want it to be."

Perhaps the sideways reality was even less clear than the island's mysteries themselves. Would they have had a parallel reality had the bomb not gone off? How did they survive a nuclear explosion in the real world?

Everything, including the real world was more of a construct than a physical, determined reality.

People live and die and the physical is nothing but a construct the mind uses until it is ready to move on.

The writers did a good job in my opinion because this was never about answering about the alien technology,or about Atlantis sinking to the bottom of the sea... this was about characters who were lost, were eventually found.

It was interesting how the writers tied moving on to the attachment between individuals. That more than anything was brilliant.

There needs to be a web site that has a count of people that actually liked the ending. I would wager the count would be low. It was a good show until the ending. Who wants to rent past episodes knowing how the ending is?! I think they shot theirselves in the foot with the ending.

Then again, Abstract Art can mean so many disparate things to different people. And though they often disagree significantly on the most basic of concepts that are displayed, many can take a wide range of emotions and thought streams from the experience of beholding the art piece. In this way, perhaps LOST is indeed a ground-breaker in terms of presenting Abstract Art in an epic medium.

(Admittedly, I'm trying to provide myself closure to this adventure... it's not easy to cut through the disappointment.):-)

Coincidentally, that is what Desmond says to Jack while they are alive. Later, that is what Jack says to Desmond while they are on the island, right before they move into the sideways reality.

I believe this statement is one of the better ways to portray the writers' intentions. Everything that happened on the island and after was after their mortal lives had ended. But why call it death? Why not look at it as another life? Different, but all one continuous journey. It's no wonder this was used as a transitional phrase.

The cop out was to basically state that the Island existed before Jacob and the MIB and the episode about them two basically laid that groundwork. Its a mystery because the truth of where Jacob and the MIB came from was basically something that really didn't matter.....the island had powers...someone said the light in the river was end all/be all and had to protect it...and somehow their killer of a mother bought into it as did Jacob, as did Jack and hurley....
the island has some crazy properties that make it powerful....maybe the garden of eden is buried under the cork in the cave.... who knows...and the writers are basically saying we're not telling you how the universe is created....
MIB told jacob on the island, the cycle will just run itself again, which it did with Hurley's time as the protector.....
After jacob's mother killed the real mother i realized that there was no real truth to the storyline.... the writers had the alternate timeline (purgatory) going to basically create a second storyline to ease us into dealing with the questions about the Island never really being answered...
With that all being said i think the finale was great and think it was a really good drama for television. It gave people something to look forward to and talk about and for them it sold advertising.

"The Wire" is still the best drama ever created though! That dealt with Reality. This was the best fantasy show.

Seriously I can't find one intellegent answer here explaining what made the ending so bad other than "they didn't explain what (pick your triva) was." Can someone come up with specifics so we can all know what you mean.

I have a couple of questions….Does anyone have any thoughts about Ben turning that big wheel in that arctic cave? How did that wheel force him off the island? Why did they need to turn that wheel to get off? That was obviously the smoke monster posing as Jack’s father that was talking to Ben, why couldn’t he go with him if that was his invention? What took Ben off the island? What about the electromagnetic charge the island had? Why was there so much magnetism there? Why was the Darma group trying to harness the magnetism? Still so many questions left unanswered. I guess I’ll have to listen to the writers and learn to let go.

I was satisfied with the outcome of the show. It gave a sense of closer for the people that crashed on the island. They all became so connected, so important to one another that they needed each other to move on. They couldn’t let go until each one was ready. I can live with that.

This was my favorite show for the last six years, I’m going to miss getting Lost every week.

Mr. Eko lost in smoke? As I recall the smoke monster grabbed him by his legs and starting bashing him into trees and rocks, thus killing him. His last words were – You're next. So he wasn't lost in the smoke. Go rewatch the episode from season 2. BTW, from what I've been able to read, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (the actor who played Mr. Eko) wanted to return for the final episode as a cameo appearance but the producers wouldn't allow it.

> Do you really expect to find the answers to a show named LOST?

Perhaps not, but Lindelof and Cuse did worse than not provide answers. They provided outright, blatant contradictions – always a sign of bad writing. Case in point, the MIB cannot kill Jacob, his candidates, or his successor, at least not directly. Those are the rules. So why is it that the MIB/Locke in the final episode kills Jack with a knife thrust to the abdomen? That's a contradiction, one of many hundreds made throughout the show. Are we supposed to just swallow them happily?

I was a LOST fan from the begining to end, no matter how it ended. I cannot believe that some many people have so little imagination and need everything spelled how for them. How sad have we become. I guess for those who indicatd they wasted 6 years of their lives, were never fans in the first place and should lower their sights by watching "Dancing with the Stars" or "Idol". This way they can get their predictable ending and don't have to use their brains.

I think the credits explained it all. Rewatch the credits of the finale. It's pictures of the plain crash with NO survivors. The plans flying overhead symbolized everyone moving on to heaven.

The island was purgatory, the alternate life was an alternate purgatory, they were living both and when realized such, they got to move on.

I agree with others, there's no other explanation for time travel, the polar bears, smoke monsters, people who "live" hundreds of years, Locke walking, huge magenetic devices and a "computer" that "fixes" the magnetic pull when a "random" set of numbers are punched into it every so often, "dead" people showing up randomly and all the other non-reality things.

After much mulling and reading several articles and comments, I still cannot shake the feeling that the show's fans were dissed by the producers. Do not get me wrong, I love everything Abrams has touched (Cloverfield, Star Trek, especially Fringe), but the Lost finale left those of us who were more into it for the mystery and the island without closure. It seems to me the folks who liked the ending were more into the characters, and perhaps less interested in what the hell was going on with the island itself?

I just get the feeling the writers did not have the answers. They muddled through the middle seasons once the show took off (sort of caught them by surprise). Heck, i think for at least 2 season in a row you never saw the smoke monster.

Anyways, this viewer was left a bit disappointed that the islands secrets could not be revealed. Abrams and crew do not seem to have a problem with these elements in Fringe.

I loved the idea of the flash sideways. It wasn't what would have happened if the plane had never crashed...didn't anyone really listen to what Christian Shepherd was saying? It was the place that they created so after death or after life, they would be able to find each other again. It was the connections and relationships that they formed on the island which led them to remember their life on the island. Most scenes that helped them remember in the flash sideways had actually happened on the island, like the whole claire giving birth scene.

I was very satisfied with the LOST ending. Yes there will always be unanswered questions but sitting here arguing over it isn't going to get those questions answered any time faster. Every person who has watched this series has gone away with their own conclusions and questions...the writers can't answer everything, but that's what makes TV so great, the fact they let you draw your own conclusions.

Why did Juliet say that 'it worked' at the beginning of season 6? The bomb was supposed to make sure they never crashed on the island. Was that simply a red herring to make use believe the flash sideways was not purgatory? This is one of many questions that were never answered. I feel like the writers created a ending for casual Lost fans. But the fans who actually invested time into the show and kept track of the secrets and puzzles were left with our mouths open saying "......what??"

No theory is going to perfect, but let's give this a try: residing in our psyche are constructs of so-called "generalized others" whom we don't meet in the flesh, but are nonetheless real to us– it's how one imagines members of the other political party, people in San Francisco, or people who like car racing, you come to have ideas about what these others are like from the (imperfect) information you receive (call it superego, if you like).

The reason, I think, Locke/MIB was able to stab and kill Jack was because the island was uncorked. When the island was thrown off kilter, everyone, and everything on it was thrown off. Because the light went out so did the darkness aka smoke inside of Locke/MIB. Thus he was no longer smoke and was able to kill Jack. As though the previous rules no longer applied while the light was out. Remember what Ben told Hurley when Hurley said people can’t leave the island? Ben said, “Those were Jacob’s rules, you can make your own.” The keeper of the island changed and so did the rules.

If I had known how it was going to end...I would of watched the finale of something else...!!!! Why would young Walt or his dog be in purgatory...Why Claires baby...sad sad sad...Granted we dont live with fairies, and lollipops and unfortunately we live in an age of death and destruction...but GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZ...to be reminded....everyone was finally finding each other after being separated...that in itself is a story...

> Why does everyone believe they were dead the whole time on the
> island!?? Did you not hear what Jack's dad told him??? The island
> was real! Duh!

There must be thousands of posts all over the Internet saying the same thing over and over. I have yet to hear a single one of these posters answer this question:

What is the meaning of the picture of the island underwater at the beginning of season 6? The foot of the statue where Jacob used to live is underwater. Doesn't that prove that at least the portrayal of life on the island during season 6 did not really take place in this reality?

> Besides the crash site pictures at the end were NOT part of the
> show.

Next, you will be telling us that the underwater picture was not part of the show either. To my mind the question of whether the events on the island took place in this reality or some afterlife is entirely ambiguous, and intentionally so.

C'mon people: Lost was not conceived as a show with a forseeable ending. It was a weekly drama\mystery\thriller. So the writers, progressed along those lines. The writers strike, low ratings (intermittent) and viewer confusion lead them to move toward a solution. That is also why so many characters were missing from the final, Walt in particular. So you have an ending that is geared toward the characters rather than the concept of the island and it's meaning. Be happy with what you have, because the show could have just ended with everyone stuck on the island. Just like "Gilligan's Island"; in fact Lost was a sci fi version of that show.

The wreckage at the end was there, I think, as a simple reminder of where we'd spent 6 years.

The writers have stated that what happened on the island happened on the island. Thus, the whole island storyline was real. The ONLY thing not in the physical, real world was the "flash-sideways": The "flash-sideways" was clearly said to be a place their souls created after they each died in their own separate way, so they could be reunited with the people who'd been the most important to them. Clearly, for those people, the crash survivors they experienced the whole LOST adventure with were the strongest bonds in their lives. So, when they passed on to the afterlife, they made a place to wait until they all had "let go" of their issues, and they could be together and move forward to whatever the afterlife is. The "flash-sideways" was a sort of self-imposed waiting room in the afterlife, where they waited for the rest of the Losties.

So, then everything that happened on the island, happened. It was a magical, unexplained place where a lot of s*&t happened, and a bunch of folks tried to survive it/escape it/control it. Some escaped (Kate, Sawyer, etc.. on the plane), some died (Shannon, Boone, Libby, etc...), some became magical, mystical figures and lived LONG LONG lives, only to be reunited in the 'waiting room' with their friends after they died (Hurley!).

That's it. It's a story about love, friendship, and how no one can do it alone.

I wish they would simply admit that a lot of the mysteries, secrets, and plots were being made up as they go. I think they started being too clever without ever realizing they would never be able to explain many of the ideas they invested so much time into creating.

Too bad the story elements were not given half of the investment the character elements received.

I would agree with all of your answers although I am still not convinced that everyone died at different times and did not die in the initial plane crash. Towards the end of Season 6, I think during the episode containing the backstory for Richard, Richard shouted at everyone: "Don't you know where you all are? You're all dead!"

To all of you people that say 'Lost' was stupid or that it sucked: Why the hell would you continue to watch it if disinterested you so much? Usually when there is a show that I think sucks I JUST DON'T WATCH IT! I would love to read your comments because they are just sooo important. I personally think that 'Lost' was a fantastic show. The writers did an excellent job!

This situation reminds me of when you read a book then see the movie. You always end up thinking at some point, that's not how I pictured character "A", which leads to statments like, that guy was a terrible character "A".

Lost left more than a few things open to the imagination creating the same effect.

purgatory was a word invented by Dante in a book called "the comedy" later changed by the church into "the divine comedy" in other words it doesn't exists, it never existed and it will never exists because it was made up by a great writer. so how can two writers base six years of their life and ours over redemption in the purgatory when the concept of purgatory is a joke. why did we waste our time and why were we not told from the beginning the whole idea of the show? they took us for a ride and we were too stupid not to see it. this is the last time i will ever think of "lost" I P R O M I S E.

So many people say, glad I didn't watch, or glad I only watched the first season!!! Why do they even bother to come here and read what others have to say?
LOST ended just like life ends! Leaving questions unsolved. Just like when we die, sometimes we don't know why, and not all our questions are solved! But one thing is for sure, We can always go towards the light!!!!

The numbers, like most everything else, were simply symbolic. The total 108, which is a very significant number in several different religions and philosophies. One simple meaning of 108 is the representation of past, present, and future–a key theme in the show.

Lost loves to blur the line between "good" and "bad". They like to make you think – what makes someone good or bad? Is anyone absolutely good or bad? I think this was true of many of the characters, they had done both bad (or atleast shady) things, but also good things. Many were bad at some point, but were able to gain redemption. Widmore definitely wasn't absolutely good nor bad. He started off as the enemy of Ben. In the end, he had been summoned by Jacob to save the island. You could see him in either light, depending on if you accept Deontology or Utilitarianism. He believes the ends justify the means. He is saving the island and thus humanity, but in doing so, he will kill anyone that gets in his way. There is no black and white answer here.

2. How come Jack did not turn into a smoke-thing when MIB did? We know why Desmond didn't, but why Jack?

Most speculate that MIB did only b/c he had a lot of darkness/hate/vengeance in his heart. Others say it is because Jacob broke his mother's rule and therefore he was punished with this awful Smoke Monster, a mistake he was trying to make right for 2,000 years. I am with the former.

3. How much did Jacob actually know about the island that he was protecting?

Well it seems his cork analogy was quite correct (and literal). Still, he was shown to be only a man and quite an ignorant one at the beginning of his life. He learned as he went along, but he likely knew as much as we now know about the island. We understand it in many ways, but we don't know of its origin, this would take absolute omniscience.

4. Although MIB became the smoke monster- how come it was so important that he did not leave the island? (He really didn't seem like a bad guy in life-he just wanted to leave)

It's likely Mother would not let him leave as a person, because she wanted him to eventually become the protector. She needed him to believe her lie. As the smoke monster, well we know why he couldn't leave.

5. What was the point of Jacob drawing people to the island? I know he ultimately wanted to find a candidate for replacement, but it does seem like he was playing a game with MIB.

He made it clear in the end, he needed not just a replacement, but a way to right his mistake (creating the Smoke Monster). He needed his replacement to kill the Smoke Monster. Their 'game' was a philosophical difference that manifested itself in how they treated people that came to the island. But this 'game' wasn't why they were brought, rather Jacob needed them for replacement. MiB wanted to corrupt them and turn them against themselves. If Jacob could get a replacement, he thought he could prove that people weren't all bad. If MiB could get them to all kill each other, then he could prove they were bad and could also prove to Mother that he could leave the island.

What an utterly horrible ending to six years of a powerful, thought provoking, suspenseful, and truly inspiring and intelligent television program. This ending ranks up there with the ones for St. Elmo, Bob Newhart, and Sopranos. Actually considering the high quality of Lost I would say this ending puts it way below those shows. Cudos to those of you who tried to warn us over the years in countless blogs and discussions. You have my apologies for thinking you had no idea what you were talking about. To have this show end as everyone waiting in some type of purgatory until Jack was ready to face the fact that he too was dead is simply moronic. Obviously, considering the quality of the scripts, etc. up to the last few minutes, this ending was a total cop-out. I find it hard to believe that anyone that has been able to produce such a wonderful show up to that point could not have come up with something better. To be left with the idiotic notion that everyone created his own "sideways" life until Jack could accept that he was dead and in so doing Sayid chose to remain a torturer, Kate chose to remain a killer and fugitive, Sawyer still tragically lost his parents as a boy and although a cop was still trying to find the man who caused that and kill him, and on and on is a heartrending betrayal of the loyalties of Lost fans. Even the immense enjoyment of six years of everything before those last few moments cannot erase the disappointment and disgust that the ending has created and I will forever hear the laughter of all those who had a part in the creation of Lost as they make their way to the bank.

I would agree with all of your answers although I am still not convinced that everyone died at different times and did not die in the initial plane crash. Towards the end of Season 6, I think during the episode containing the backstory for Richard, Richard shouted at everyone: "Don't you know where you all are? You're all dead!"

If this is true, then they all died in the plane crash. Thoughts?

----------------------–

Richard shouted this because he no longer believed in Jacob and that there was any purpose. He had momentarily lost his faith. He assumed if Jacob was lying, then MiB was truthful about the island being hell. In fact, MiB was lying and Jacob was right. Furthermore, there would be no precedent as to why they would all be in hell. People like Hurley, Claire, Walt, etc were never shown to be bad prior to the island.

Joe, it wasn't that everyone created their own sideways life until Jack could accept that he was dead. There was one reality in this plane of existence and they were all in it together. I don't at all see how this could possibly be a cop-out. NO ONE predicted this ending. I read all the theories leading up to the finale and I never saw one person predict that the original timeline was all real, yet the flash-afterlife (as we now know it) was the afterlife. I think it was genius. Everything on the island actually happened, but they all get back together. Not in some coffee house in LA, but in the afterlife. How utterly epic and beautiful.

The sunken Island was in the 'dream"/purgatory whatever you want to call it. It wasn't real. It was a way to hook the viewer in the beginning. It represented a place where the Island did not exsist. It was not literal.

I don't think you can reasonably infer your conclusion by what happened in the final episode. If the rules are completely changeable by the protector of the island, who at the time happened to be Jack, then why didn't Jack just wish the MIB out of existence and he would have disappeared? If the island protector can change the rules to suit himself then long ago Jacob would have changed the rules in order to put himself into a position of advantage against the MIB and MIB would have been nullified long ago. So that cannot be a reasonable explanation. There must be some rules that are fixed and the island protector cannot change them. Unfortunately Lindelof and Cuse didn't tell us what they were.

MP–Juliet said it worked after the bomb went off because at that moment she was experiencing her flash sideways moment when she was able to let go. She also said that they should go for coffee sometime–this is what she said to Sawyer on the island before she died. Juliet meant it worked in that in her case, it did work. Her journey on the island lead her to being able to go into the light.

Tom Marking–the island was under water in the beginning of Season 6 in order to introduce us to the flash sideways. In the flash sideways, the island does not exist to them until they are ready to let go. The image was symbolic.

>What is the meaning of the picture of the island underwater at the >beginning of season 6? The foot of the statue where Jacob used to >live is underwater. Doesn't that prove that at least the portrayal of life >on the island during season 6 did not really take place in this reality?

The underwater island is the beginning of the "flash-sideways" and therefore was not real in the physical sense of the island.

Note that in the final episode, the characters themselves were confused by the Sideways world. Juliet thought the A-bomb had worked, so they had never crashed on the Island, and that her meeting with Sawyer had released latent memories of their life on the Island after the original crash. Desmond thought he would vanish into the Sideways world when he entered the Source on the Island, but he did not. Apparently, the A-bomb never exploded, the Island prevented it (like it prevented the dynamite from exploding when Richard was trying to kill himself) ; instead, the Island performed one last time jump that sent everyone from 1977 to 2007. After Locke's operation, when he tried to get up to walk, Jack was surprised that Locke could move his toes so soon, but Jack had to restrain Locke from standing. Locke said Jack had no son, but Locke was remembering the real world, while Jack was thinking according to the Sideways world. These are signs of confusion, shared by the TV audience, as to what the sideways world was.

I think in time, the characters came to see that the Sideways world was artificial – perhaps a final"gift" from the Island, a final means to heal the characters by giving them a world in which a lot of their problems in real life had been removed, but keeping the core problems that troubled them until they could work them out, and eventually "let go". So, Jack has a son (who perhaps looked like Jack a s a boy – Locke said Jack and his son looked alike), which helped Jack resolve his his father issues. Dogan had a life with his son. Sawyer's parents still had been killed, but he was a cop now, trying to serve justice instead of revenge. Desmond was a trusted friend to Charles Whitmore, rather than a failure. Kate was still running, but she "knew" she was innocent. Sayid was a protector of Nadia. Jin and Sun were not married, but Jin was also not a hit man for Sun's father, and Sun had not cheated on Jin – so she had not learned English from her lover. Hurly missed Abby,and Abby missed Hurley, so they met again. As did Sawyer and Juliet. I think if you look at each case, you can find that the Sideways world is giving each character what they need to heal. And in time they do. Who has no wished that they could lve some part of their life over again, in "another life". I think the Sideways world was a last gift of the Island, a reward, or attempt to give solace to their struggles, so that they could finally "let go" and go on. Admittedly, Aaron being a baby seems a problem, but perhaps that is what Claire needed, to have Aaron as a baby again.

One last thing, Locke's father was given a different "gift" – he was brain damaged, and so perhaps he was incapable of letting go, because he can't think. So Locke's father ends up in the Island's version of hell. Now, that's scary.

@Anne, yeah I get that.
But if the people here who think the answers presented in Season 6 were what the writers had in mind the whole time, then I need a reason those numbers were on the hatch.

Here is the real answer:
They (meaning everyone that had anything to do with writing the show), had no idea what they were doing.
When they finally decided to end the show, they had to make up some excuses.
In a different interview I read, Cuse and Lindeloff, even admitted they had no idea what they were doing the first season.
Then they had to come up with an ending, so they decided that the characters were all that anyone needed to know about.
Screw any kind of explanation of anything else, just make the characters end up happy.
Bah!
At one point during the series, they said they would explain Walt, and why he was special. They even said they would explain why he had grown so much. (and I am not talking about the real life reasons of a kid growing up)
They said we would find out all about Libby.
We didn't.
Blah Blah Blah.
Now they are saying that some answers will be revealed in commentary on the DVDs.
Well, of course, more ways to promise us something just to get our money.
They will get no more money from me, though.
I will just have to read about it later, I guess.

So, final score:
People who were into the characters: 1
People who were into the island mysteries: 0

LBF: Yes, they did die in the crash. If you understand that they all died in the plane crash, then you will see that everything that happened was simply a matter of each character learning how to let go of their past and move on. The island is purgatory.

> The sunken Island was in the 'dream"/purgatory whatever you want
> to call it. It wasn't real. It was a way to hook the viewer in the
> beginning. It represented a place where the Island did not exsist.
> It was not literal.

What is the connection with the flash-sideways? That it comes before it in the sequence of the first episode of season 6? But it also comes after the explosion of a nuclear weapon at the end of season 5 which presumably you accept as having happened in the real world. I think the connection with the season 5 nuke is more powerful since it can explain how the island sank under water. The nonexistence of the island in the flash-sideways does not require that it be underwater – it simply doesn't exist in that world and thus would not be shown.

lololol im glad i never got into this show. honestly from what i watched of the show i wasnt impressed or interested in what was to come from the story. constant questions on what would happen. fail show. fail ending. lol @ wasting ur time america.

Just image this:
During the writers meetings, when they were brainstorming, someone came up with this idea for the ending and presented it.
There then had to be another guy that heard this and then said:
"YEAH! That's it! Let's go with that!"

OK, I just have to make one point concerning the plane crash and no one surviving it theory. First, they were no where near 30,000 feet when the plane broke apart. Doesn’t anyone remember the opening scene of season 3 where Ben and the “Others” are watching the plane break up over their heads? Did that look like 30,000 feet to any of you? Even the pilot said in episode 1 before he was killed by the smoke monster that they had engine trouble and had to turn around. If you lose an engine, is it not wise to skirt closer to the surface in case you have to do a sea landing. Second, they crashed on an island that had healing properties. True they were still high enough to die from the fall but remember Jacob wanted these people there. He brought them there and was very capable of healing their wounds via contact or through the island. Remember he seemed to revive John Locke after his fall from the building that paralyzed him. Looked like he was dead or near death until Jacob touched him. No, I disagree with the theory. Those who needed to survive the crash, survived. It was all real, though out of alignment with the rest of the world as was proven by Faraday’s rocket experiment.

Fantastic Series – Finale was decent – my only comment – MIB should have become the smoke in the finale & killed some (if not all) of the survivors. I think this would have helped to establish that the alternate timeline was in fact, purgatory. Everyone (except maybe Jack, Hurley, & Ben) would have been dead – we would have got to see this happen – (besides as if the LOST finale does not have one scene with the monster in his smoke form!!!) My thought – the scene with James looking for Desmond. When he explains to MIB that they are no longer candidates – smokey should have killed James (and everyone else that he could get a hold of) at that time. Killing off some of the main characters on the island would have added a nice balance to the alternate timeline where everyone was re-uniting. (and I think we – the viewers would have got that they were all dead – if, you know, we saw them all dead) – I did not mind at all that all of the show's questions were not answered – the mystery of the show & the island was kind of the point to the series.

Think. Most people seem stuck on the plane crash; did they die in the crash or not? Assume for one moment that statements the writers themselves made are the truth. 1 – “They did not die in the plane crash and are in purgatory on the island.” 2 – “Everything will be explained in the end.” The first one is one statement, it does not mean they are not in “purgatory” on the island, it means they did not die in the plane crash and are in “purgatory” on the island. Therefore it stands to reason that the plane crash never happened, the plane crash itself is part of the “purgatory”. Second, if everything was explained in the end, then Jack’s father’s statement is the explanation. He comforted Jack in that everything that he experienced and who he experienced it with was real, even though it was in the afterlife, it was just as real as if it happened in “normal” life. He clearly explained that some of the people died before him and some long after him. They did not know each other in “normal’ life, but were brought together in the afterlife because they needed each other, needed each other to find redemption for their lives. Time had no relevance in the “afterlife/purgatory” , the island, flashforwards, flashsideways, etc. This explains the time travel on the island, “immortals” on the island, and everything else. This was all their test between good and evil. The island has no sense, meaning or purpose, and cannot be explained other than it was “purgatory”.

Klaire…Oh where to begin? First off, regarding your last sentence, it’s season 3 (not series 3).

Now to the more important items! Some of the things you state here that were not answered, were answered!! Did you watch this show throughout or just bits and pieces.

...THE ISLAND IS NOT PURGATORY!...whether it is season 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, or 3!

The black smoke was not the Devil…It was in bodiless incarnation of the MIB/Jacob’s Brother/Fake Lock (which ever term/name you want to use.

The polar bears were either brought there by the Dharma Initiative or were already on the island (since the island has been known to “change” locations throughout the world at different points in history) and the Dharma Initiative were running experiments on them.

The island was pretty much “invisible” to everyone, unless you were on the island or within a certain area around it. It was hard to locate from the outside world. And once again, everyone was NOT DEAD!

Not purgatory and who cares about the Heroine couriers. That is such a silly thing to even care about…unless you’re looking for a fix.

Echo and Anna Lucia were hardly important characters. They were actually minor characters. So once again not important what so ever for the story; although Anna Lucia did have a scene in the sideways world. The guy who played Echo asked to be let off the show not that long after starting. His character was supposed to be more important and have more things going on, but he wanted nothing more to do with the show.

So how about actually watching the show and paying attention and then see if you still have these uninformed questions?!?

"So, call me John and I will call you Jack. You believe in science, that it is because it is. You want the facts. I believe in faith, that life continues after death. And that was the point I believe, to make the audience debate this epic struggle."

You got it wrong. I'm not Jack, I'm not the science based one. I'm the faith based one, as apparently, are you.

But, I do not misinterpret anything. If they all died in the crash, the series makes no sense at all. For the Island to be purgatory, none of the side stories make any sense whatsoever. There would be no reason for these "pergatories" to cross paths.

There were plenty of hints left that the events on the island, were, in fact real. It is nonsensical for them to have gone through some sort of pergatory in the island, only to forget it all, and have to remember again in the sideways storyline. Lost is much more in depth then that. But in the end, it was always more about the characters than it was about the island. The island was just something that happened, the people were really what mattered.

Am I the only one hoping for the LOST spinoff where Hurley and Ben run the island and Desmond and Jack are now smoke monsters? How great of a show would that be? Eventually one smoke monster could become evil with the good smoke monster protecting the new "others" (Hurley did not seemed opposed to people both coming and leaving the island remember Ben said "thats how Jacob ran things"). I sure as hell would tune in every week to see that show! They can even end that series the same way, with all of them entering the church again and with Ben saying "you were a good number one" and Hurley saying "you were a good number 2". Man that would be great!

Jacob carefully selected people to come to the island and destroy an evil that was created by mistake. Jacob believed that the good inside of men would eventually triumph and fulfill this destiny. These "Losties" proved Jacob correct and were reunited (and possibly rewarded) in the afterlife.

The Island remains and is free from an evil that should have never existed. A protector still watches over the source.

Maybe Penny takes off where Charles Widmore left off trying to get to the island, which makes Desmond the bad smoke because he wants nothing more than to leave and be with her! Penny uses her "friendship" with Hurley to get there just to back stab him but of course all along Jack knows what she wants, to free Desmond! Jack and Ben must team up to stop her but unfortunatly good natured Hurley ultimatly makes the decision and he beleives in Penny! Maybe even a few episodes featuring Charlie (the only person that can make Hurley beleive) coming back to help his BFF! Of course by then it would be too late and then....(fade to black) LOST!

LBF–I never said the island was purgatory. They weren't there to be purged of their sins. I don't believe the flash sideways were a purgatory either.

I do believe, however, that the island was a spin-off of the Egyptian idea of the netherworld. The island was a test. A very real test. The flash sideways were a meeting place where each individual would be capable of understanding everything that happened to them in life and in death. Once that understanding was reached, they could move on if they wanted.

This is how it appears to me. The show is obviously left open to interpretation. You think mine is faulty, I think yours is faulty. But we both agree it had meaning and we are having the debate the writers intended us to have.

LBF–and I'm sorry if my statement of being science or faith based came off wrong. Rereading it, it did. I meant only in terms of the show. But to correct myself, I think it's a meeting in the middle where, yes, everything did happen and was real, and also, yes, it did happen on a spiritual plane.

when the man in black fell into the hole, he came out as smoke? why? what for? Why, when both Desmond and Jack fell in, they did not turn into black smoke?? ugh so many unanswered questions. A very incohesive ending! Decapitated from the rest of the series.

im getting so dang tired of reading blogs and comments and people are upset at the ending and they contribute it to the FST bein purgatory...if you even watched the last ten minutes of The End then theres no way you can claim it was purgatory..Christian Sheppard made that pretty clear..he said it was a place THEY MADE TOGETHER..he didnt say u died and noow ur in pugatory..alot of fans are completely misinterpreting the end..i just wanted to get that off my chest..

Jack becomes Jacob, Sawyer becomes man in black. They show them sitting looking out where Sawyer says “I’m going to kill you one day”...The End. Perfect since Jack wants to remain on the island and Sawyer wants to leave. Jack protects others and Sawyer has always been selfish. Jack is a healer, Sawyer is a killer. Sawyer blames Jack for Juliet’s death and has that inner anger, just as MIB does against Jacob.

I thought for sure they were headed there. But that would’ve been disastrous to their characters and the 'happy reunion'. They chose to have characters trump story. Great, great show...dissapointing ending. Major network shows always seem to try for the 'happy reunion' scene and they always dissapoint.

Anne – I think you and I are on the same wavelength here. The main word I would use is TEST. The island is a place, AFTER your dead, to learn to let go of all your life's real or perceived shortcomings. The big test is to see whether or not you have the capability to understand events in your life (example- Jack feeling that he never measured up to his father as a surgeon, but then coming to terms with it by creating David and dealing with the problem. Once he did, he was able to let go and go to the afterlife..)

Someone earlier asked about Eloise. She is one of the most interesting characters to me. Throughout the show she seems aware of what is happening. In the flash sideways, she clearly knows they are dead, but she hasn't reconciled her life. She is either afraid she will not go into the light or for whatever reasons she is unable to let go. Eloise tries to stop Desmond, as whoever asked the question put it, because she does not want to lose her son, Daniel. Eloise's intentions are to keep Daniel from "letting go" because she cannot. She does not want him to move on without her. If you remember, she lost him on the island. So is it selfishness, is it fear, or is it love?

What a monumental waste of time. They didn't even answer some of the main questions. I think that they couldn't tie it all to together and they took the easy road at the end and went with the purgatory theme. I was hoping for something like quantum physics or something interesting. Huge disappointment.

Karen Moulder–I love that you asked about Vincent! It's such a trivial thing, but something I've actually pondered as well! I am not sure if the writers put Vincent in the last scene with Jack as something significant or as something just to pull at our heart strings. I would wager it is a mixture of both. Based on what I think the island is, the answer is simple. Vincent is a dog. Vincent was not in the church because he has nothing to realize, to understand, or to let go.

Thinking is not a waste of time. The finale is clearly to make you think and to imagine. It's inspiring. A flat, blunt ending would have been a waste of time. Pretend they did give you a concrete ending that answered every question. Now pretend that you didn't like that ending. What's left?

@trevor teeter
> im getting so dang tired of reading blogs and comments and
> people are upset at the ending and they contribute it to the FST bein > purgatory...if you even watched the last ten minutes of The End then > theres no way you can claim it was purgatory..Christian Sheppard
> made that pretty clear..he said it was a place THEY MADE
> TOGETHER..he didnt say u died and noow ur in pugatory..alot of
> fans are completely misinterpreting the end..i just wanted to get that > off my chest..

I tend to agree. Those who claim that the Flash Sideways is a kind of purgatory have no idea what they are talking about. Purgatory is a place where one's sins are "purged" by punishment of one kind or another – hence the term "purg-atory". Now, one's sins cannot be purged if one is not even aware of one's own true life on Earth, and instead, you think you are living a totally different life than the one you really had. If you cannot reflect on your real life then you cannot be purged and hence, no purgatory.

As to the person who posted a while back that Purgatory was a concept invented by Dante Alighieri in the 13th century I say bunk – it has deep roots in Christianity and even predates Jesus with traditions in pre-Christian Judaism and even Zoroastrianism which dates back to the 6th century BCE. So it's an ancient concept, and one which was not explicitly invoked by the LOST writers.

I would like to know why there was no body in the coffin in the final episode.
If someone is dead their "soul" should be able to look at their worldly body, whether it was Jack's body or his father's in the coffin.
Also,not finding out what happened to Richard was a major disappointment. along with lots of other unanswered questions.
I was very disappointed in the ending. Maybe they should have had one more season to wind things up and end it with at least a few more scientific answers. The characters were one of the reasons I enjoyed the show but I also waited for the next episode to see what was going to happen or be explained next!
A sequel with Hurley and Ben and Desmond? I won't be watching – or maybe only the last episode!

I wish people would stop slamming the finale. I thought it was an amazing end to a truely epic show. I wonder if people have issues with it simply because they are upset its actually all over. I think there would have been negative reactions with any ending and that's because no ending would have given us all the answers. I think they did a great job bringing it all together and if you really understand LOST than you would understand that the show was about the characters. Not the Island, not Dharma, not time-travel but the relationships the survivors had with each other. And that was what we saw in the end. Kudos to the writers. I will miss LOST a lot.

It's not real.
It's only a show.
The writer's ripped off lots of stuff from real philosophers.
The writer's being unoriginal never new how to approach reconcilation.
It shows.
In the unreal ending.
Liked the journey more than the destination.

Purgatory is a state of purification, not punishment per se. It functions as a place to prepare souls for heaven. According to the bible everyone has sin. Purgatory is an in-between were good souls ultimately bound for heaven go to be cleansed of their sins.

The writers got out of control w/ their thoughts and were never able to come full circle with a solid conclusion. Hollywood has trouble editing themselves these days. Instead the writers decided to leave it open to interpretation whether you believe in the sci-fi mumbo jumbo theme, the biblical theme or the logical theme. Anyone can make up whatever ending they want because it was impossible to end anything w/ all the stuff they put out there. I choose the logical realist theme from the first episode / plane + crash on tropical island = death. Everyone on the island died there either by air or sea regardless of the time line and were stuck between heaven and hell (lost). There is no point to the story and most of the main characters if you do not accept the simple, logical answer of plane + crash = death. The only other reason for showing them crash on a plane together would be that it was a metaphor for "lost" souls crashing out of control in their lives and how literally lame would that be? No one could get pregnant on the island because guess what, you're dead (back when I watched the show Juliet said no woman was able to conceive so low and behold the dead Jin and Sun imagine they are pregnant). The three different life scenarios represented the "what if" they hadn't crashed scenario. Jack was shown at the end walking through the bamboo forest because that's where he landed when he was ejected during the plane crash. He was injured in the plane crash and subsequently died from his injuries not by the hands of Locke. Hey, there I just made up another ending! The Apollo candy bars, the scientific time travel out of Oxford, the magnetic fields, all the literary references, Walt having special powers, basically everything was written in for entertainment value to throw you off track of the real story theme plane + crash = death. There is no cryptic secret behind the Apollo bars other than one of the writers probably liked them as a kid. I'm sure there were people out there who tried to find what significant meaning they could extract from mythology, and I'm sure they were able to find some explanation for it too. These were the things the writers just threw in there, and I will give them credit for their creativity. I'm glad it's finally over, and I'm glad that I multi-tasked my way through the last three seasons w/ half an ear to the TV because it was a huge disappointment. But again – people – how did the show end: with dead people talking to other dead people at a funeral for a dead man that knew all along that he was dead (his casket was always empty); and a crashed plane on a tropical beach with no life in sight except for Jack who did fall down and die next to the dog (which was a great scene – I'll give them that). To conclude, plane + crash on a tropical island = death. All that happened after was the fantasy of how they engaged together stuck in limbo and what their lives could have been if they'd done things differently. And that my friends sums up the beginning, the middle and the end something that the writer's of Lost were unable to do.

WAIT!
Has anyone thought that maybe they were on Fantasy Island? The plane-the plane- the plane crashes-or does it?
Look, the island needed a new Mr. Rourke and Tattoo but got Hurley and Ben. It could explain how Rourke could have 1690 Salem and 1979 LA Dodgers (with Gary Bourghoff). Think about it- time travel/alternate planes of existence/what is reality? I mean now it answers Rourke's powers AND explains what happened to everyone: They went home when the adventure ended.

Sorry, the original plane crash did not equal death to all. Remember Jacob wanted them there for a reason and the island (and Jacob) had healing powers. The island was not purgatory, if it was then why did we need a second purgatory in the flash sideways reality. Jack was wearing different clothes when he died as opposed to when we first saw him on the island (coat and tie I believe). No, I humbly disagree. It was all real except for the flash sideways world.

Purgatory within a purgatory = a monumental failure of an explaination for the show. Your explaination is more swissed up than you proclaim the writer's is. If they are all in limbo how they all know each other? If they are all in a collective dream wouldn't that mean the Island was responsible? That's not "real."

RLB, I think the writers are trying to challenge us with the definition of "real." Why can't it still be real if these events happened after they died? Would Christian really need to assure Jack that it was real if it had happened during his life? I completely agree that the island is not purgatory. But I don't think the flash sideways is purgatory either. Let go of that. What if the island was a test? What if the flash sideways was exactly what Christian said it was–a place they created to be together? Once you complete the test, you move on. Just as you moved on to the test after death. In the flash sideways, everyone reconnected. In order to move on from the flash sideways, they had to remember. That leaves one question. What about the time they left the island the first time? You can look at it in two ways. If all this happened while they were still alive, then everyone chose to return to this place they fought so hard to leave and jumped on an airplane that magically crashed on the same island no one else could see. If they were already dead, they left the island before they were ready. The world they returned to may have been a sort of purgatory from which they could not move on. Jack remarked over and over that they weren't supposed to leave the island, that is wasn't finished with them. So in short, everyone returns to the island, completes their respective tests there, then has earned the capability of moving on. Ben could have moved on, but he was not ready. His love tethered him to Alex and she had not reconciled her life and death yet. Eloise could have moved on, but her fear and shame prevented her from letting Daniel remember what happened on the island. She chose not to move on and tried to prevent Daniel from remembering. I think the writers spelled it all out in the end. I also think they left it open enough for interpretation so there is mine.

great explaination. after thinking about it, I too came to the conclusion that the place was not purgatory mainly because of the different religious symbols in the stein window of the room jack's dad was in.

It was all a dream;
no, it was all a flashback/flash forward/flash sideways;
no, it was all a flash before death;
no, it was the perfect example of how writers abuse plot devices when there is no plot.

(Polar bears, the egyptian statue, the black smoke, the Dharma initiative and the Widmore freighter invasion, all apparently unnecessary.)
Lindelof and Cuse you have LOST my trust.

Anne, I like your interpretation even if I don’t agree with it entirely. First for the record, I never said that either the island or the flash sideways were purgatory. I was just trying to make the point that you can’t have two purgatories. In fact, I don’t believe either was purgatory, it is simply what everyone else on here has been calling them. If you take the Catholic definition of purgatory, it is a cleansing place for the soul before going before God. If dying on the island equaled moving on because you cleansed your soul, then that doesn’t explain the deaths of people like Artz, Anna Lucia, Nikki and Palo. I do agree with you that the flash sideways was exactly what Christian said it was, a place they made together. As for the island being a place they were tested before they can move on, I agree and disagree in a way. The candidates were being tested for sure to determine who would be the next Jacob, but not to move on to the afterlife, IMHO. If everyone was being tested before they could move on then what test did people like Mr. Echo, Libby, Artz, Anna Lucia, Nikki and Palo pass. You could argue they failed their tests, but how did Libby fail a test when all she was doing was getting a blanket to picnic with Hugo. How did Artz fail his test when all he was doing was trying to help people from blowing themselves up with dynamite? Yes, you could say Anna Lucia, Nikki and Palo failed their tests, but what did Mr. Echo do to fail his. (OK, maybe that one was just an actor who was disgruntle with the show)

In my final thought, was the island supernatural in nature? Yes. Was it a gateway between the natural world and something else? Yes. Did being on the island mean you were already dead? IMHO No. If so, then we can’t explain everyone that came to the island by other means. People like those on the freighter, the Dahrma Folks, Richard Alpert and even Jacob and MIB themselves. Don’t forget that Jacob visited our heroes long before they were ever on flight 815 in preparation to bring them to the island. Let’s not forget that Jacob and MIB were once human themselves. I believe that people died when we saw them die on the show. Once they were dead, they were dead. As Ben said; (I think it was Ben) “Dead is dead, you don’t get to come back from that.”

I loved this show and everything about it. I loved the ending and the fact that they didn’t answer all the questions. It makes for wonderful debate and interpretation. I am amazed at how many different view points there have been on here and find them interesting even if I don’t agree with them all. Good example of how everyone can view the same event and see things completely differently.

RLB, you're exactly right about the ending being left open for debate. It's really quite ingenious really, splitting the audience on whether they were alive or dead on the island. That seems to be the main point of contention. I think they left good arguments for both.

To continue the debate, I think death on the island was symbolic of a release. You say that there would have been no reason for Libby's or Echo's death if my theory is correct. But I think that the show mostly followed Jack's experience and gave us Jack's story. It may seem pointless that Libby died while getting a blanket for Hurley, but since we do not know her story, maybe she had already passed her test on the island. She did not need to continue there so she was released. Maybe Hurley needed to experience losing Libby on the island as part of his test. It can get very involved so I will stop there. As for Echo, I believe he met his test on the island. He did encounter the plane that held his brother's remains and we saw a bit of his story. So I believe Echo was finished on the island also. But did he pass or fail, I do not know.

I believe that it does not matter how other people reached the island because they were all dead and had their own journeys to go on. I think the Dharma Initiative was another group of souls struggling to meet their challenge, as were the Others. Who knows how long the Others had been there. Jacob and The Man in Black were obviously there for a very long time before being able to move on.

Speaking of Jacob, because I assume the island is real and real after death and because I assume the island is a special place and that you are capable of moving on to a place where time does not exist and everything just is, I believe Jacob did reach out and "touch" Jack and Kate and Sawyer, etc. I think life transcends death, there is no end, and everything is real. Therefore, they did have purpose on the island. Jacob did reach out to them to fulfill their purposes, thus fulfilling his own. To me it makes sense. But it is something I would like to think about more.

It is laughable that, after several days, so many people still seem so unhappy with the real story that they are still trying to create a "better" (to them) one in their own minds to allow them to accept things.

It's laughable that people think that there are concrete answers. The point is to think and to debate. No one that has ever made art didn't want their audience to ponder it. Challenge yourself if you are interested.

gconnection, you asked me a question two days and I've tried to post answer but I'm being moderated? So here it is in pieces:

No theory is going to perfect, but let's give this a try: residing in our psyche are constructs of so-called "generalized others" whom we don't meet in the flesh, but are nonetheless real to us– it's how one imagines members of the other political party, people in San Francisco, or people who like car racing, you come to have ideas about what these others are like from the (imperfect) information you receive (call it superego, if you like).

part 2:
Applying here, you're on a plane it's diving about to crash, you pray that maybe you'll land on some island with these folks and we can survive, we'll bandage people, we'll find water, we'll look for a way off the island, but you're losing consciousness and you're stressed so your brain kicks in with all the unresolved conflicts in your life, like dealing with all those nasty "others" in your life, so you what if there are "others" on the island, and then Ben pops into your head, a representation of people in the world whom you think exist and who embody some conflict in your life that is keeping you from what you want and you must resolve your conflict with "him" to move on.

In your theory the people and obstacles on the island represent different conflicts in jacks life. he resolves each and then thinks about what life could have been like in the flash side ways. Very compelling if I'm reading you right.

It's laughable that people think that there are concrete answers. The point is to think and to debate. No one that has ever made art didn't want their audience to ponder it. Challenge yourself if you are interested.
________

My comment was in reference to the ones who were so unhappy with what the ending appeared to be that they are trying anything and everything to make some other sense of it, to make it more palatable for themselves.

If some are just engaging in free theory for fun, go to and have a blast. I have no problem with that.

(although, for me, I will say that Mike's theory breaks down when you consider the Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle, that becomes a Jack/Kate/Saywer/Juliet rectangle, and, in some flash sideways, Sawyer isn't with either one, but instead has a blind date with Charlotte. Is Jack's mind really going to go to that level on his own?)

We all watch certain shows because we have a connection to them. Mine is this....

I lost my father, Benjamin, 3 years ago due to a massive stroke. He was gone in a blink of an eye. On Monday he passed away and Friday he was laid to rest. I never got the opportunity to say goodbye.

The week prior to his fate. He was wearing a terra cotta hawaiin shirt and bought me a coconut drink at the park where we sat and watched my 3 year old son playing in the sand. Blue sky's sunshine all around.

I never once stopped watching "Lost". I have to say, the moment when Jack embraces Christian, I "let go". In that moment, I hugged my father and said goodbye. Thank you so much for the ending.

Jackson, I agree that some people just have to have everything in a neat package. It's like going to a movie where something is implied but you never actually see it happen. You accept it for what it is, but I have been to those movies with people who just didn't get it because it wasn't actually shown or said to them. I guess some people just have a need to have every little detail spelled out for them. My ex-wife was a person like that. She always had to have everything make sense, in perfect order and the labels in the pantry all in alignment. Uncertainty and chaos are just not some peoples cup of tea.

I agree and think Mike's theory, though interesting, doesn't represent anything we were given throughout the show. I've read his posts about Owl Creek but find it faulty to draw conclusions based on one piece of evidence. We were given many books, names of various philosophers, etc., throughout the entire series. I think the writers created a plot based on a jumble of all these different thoughts and beliefs to create a show that is driven on the speculation of its viewers (I think I may have just been quoting someone there...).

But that brings me to my question for you. I've watched and read various interviews with the writers, but I haven't ever really dug into it. All I know is that they clearly said two things, first that the island is real and second that the island is not purgatory. My question is this: Have the writers ever said that everyone on the island is alive? Not real, but alive. People are discussing this very issue on the board, but they are equating the word real with the word alive. There is a difference. I'm hoping you can shed some light on this for me.

And Mike, if you read this, I am not saying you are wrong. I just don't see it.

For those thinking the entire series was Jack's imagination in the moments of death, why would he invent in his head entire background stories of people like Jacob, the stories in which Jack was totally not a part of and had no knowledge of in his "imagination"?

I agree that the flash sideways was a type of limbo where the characters were given a chance to find self-acceptance, redemption and love but one thing bothers me:

Hurley is now the guardian of the "island". He has amazing powers at his disposal including healing, immortality, time travel, etc. He also has a sci-fi background and has a much better imagination to make use of these things then the primitive Jacob. On finding Jack dead I'm sure he would be very sad and miss all of his dead friends. Wouldn't it be almost second nature for him to rescue his friends from a time before they died? The island isn't really an island (as told in the series), I imagine it's whatever the protector sees it as. Would it be to hard to imagine that Hurley and the others would transform the island into a happy slice of LA where they all eventually get what they want and "find" each other.

Heck, perhaps when the cork was put back, the smoke monster survived. Perhaps he even transformed his image back into Christian on the new "island". Maybe out of revenge and to kill the guardian he managed to trick the others into 1) believing the world was purgatory, and 2) walking into the light (which was the original light on the island) thus causing them to "die", and giving him his escape he wanted. Maybe, just maybe, the bad guy won after all :)

And maybe the writers leave things ambigous so that fans can discuss.. very entertaining show, I enjoyed the ride.

so close we come to see the divine before us, and how do some little tiny humans tell the real story, it has been done see the movie, "Jacobs Ladder", or see the movie, "Lost Highway' these ar two movies that explained near death experience to me, not perfectly, yet the transport was there, from oblivion to awakening. i awaken in a hospital after i have seemingly been hit by a car on my bycycle, left on the street, and a doctor says to me upon awakening that i am lucky to be alive and my first reaction is, "how would you know as i would not know i was dead and if i was am i luckier because i am not", i was angry because i knew that anyone of you would not make such a bold statement had they remembered their death.

I think Walt was not there because, although it was a big event in his life, he did not spend a significant amount of time on the island. It would be like attending a class reunion to a school that you only went to until 2nd grade. . .

There are non unanswered questions at all. If you sit for a while and think all the plot of the story, then you can figure the answers that you want

The basic question: What was the light on the island?

Answer: Jacob's and man in black fake mom and Jacob always told to other people that if the light goes off then it would be worse from death and evil would be in all over the world. What is worse from death? The worse thing than death is when people after they die and open the door, like Jack's father did, would not find that light that basically let to heaven. With the light off the island every people, even the good people, would not find that light and they will all let to hell. Basically the light on the island was the most important thing and had to be protected so that people in the real world when they die they can open the door and have hope that they can see the light of a better life! For that, Jack sacrifices his life for.
Always someone must stay and protect the light on the island.

Lost was not about to explain, what the island was, what was the black smoke, why this and why that... Lost was to show how each of this characters can find the thing that will change their whole life and 'let go' all the meaningless things that all of this characters from season 1 were chasing. (ex Sawyer was living his life trying to find the man who was responsible for his parents death, Kate was trying to reach her mother and explain her what she done, Locke was trying to find the reason why his father tricked him, Sayid was trying to find Nadia etc)... They had to 'let go' of this and on the island was the way to do it...

Think of this... What matters is not the destination of the trip but the way the trip was. Meaning that all Lost was to show how people can change their life finding that what they really want. All of these Losties at the end found it.

Most of the people wanted their own End of Lost and do not actually think the writers End. Just seat for a while and think of the actual End of Lost and each character of Lost you will get the point.

When I saw the end of Lost I was confuse also but 1-2 days later thinking all what happened with the plot and End of the writers I found this End the best of this fantastic show. Everything the writers had shown as was all for a purpose and exactly what needed to let us think the answers of some unanswered questions.

I like your theory about the light. it's like the light represented eternal life or life in general (waters of life). I admit I was still trying to figure that one out. I'm going to watch all seasons again to see if I can piece some smaller details together. I had to sleep on the finale too to grasps its true meaning. nice post.

um, let me see:
Lost was written for entertainment.
The Bible was written for spiritual guidance.

and you are comparing the two?? Well, I guess it makes sense if your take on my comment is that the Bible is a great work of fiction. I, however, wouldn't begin to to put these two works in the same category. But, that's just me.

Great point, George. I've been thinking along those lines the past couple of days myself. Where I am right now in my thoughts is that the great debate of whether or not everyone died in the plane crash does not matter. I've looked at it both ways and see logic to both scenarios. But more importantly, it doesn't change the overall message of the show that everyone more or less agrees on.

There are many explanations that could fill in all the blanks of the island. Whether you prefer sci-fi or fantasy it is simply a matter of imagination and finding the right "key" to tie all the clues together.

I think perhaps the biggest problem that many have with the show is that they truly do not believe that the writers had anything in mind when the finale aired. They believe that the writers wrote themselves into the proverbial corner and tried to pretend they didn't.

The main problem I have with the show is that there are far too many to say that is was the plan from the beginning. There are numerous seemingly important occurrences that build an idea but then are betrayed or abandoned. An example of this is the death of Mr. Eko. His death was a means to remove the actor and betrayed a pattern of behavior exhibited by the smoke pillar. Mr. Eko could have been killed in other ways.

If the intent of the show was to force its viewers to think and push the boundaries of imagination then the ideas and actions that occurred on the show needed to maintain some semblance of intent.

For anyone who believes they have "figured it out" I would say to them that there are many means to the end of the finale.

My point is there are a million and one ways to interprate the Bible. Some parts are easy to comprehend others are are not. Some people believe the Bible is from God because of their faith. Some of us think it's a book of fiction. The fact is it's wildly popular because of it's content real or otherwise.

many books are written to guide people spiritually. You don't have to believe in god to have spirit. the show touched people on many levels because of its messege. I'm guessing you would have known that had you read all the posts.

First of all, Lost is about a group of people that get stranded on a mysterious island. NOT about the island its self. If the show was about the island its self, the writers would of told us everything there is to know about the island. But its not. The story is about the people who survived the plane crash. Yes i am about to get all sappy. When you watch a story about people, you just want, in the end, the people to be happy. And that is exaclty what the writers did. They made all the characters happy!

Also i need to explain this alittle better. The flash sideways does not exisit in time. It is just there. The survivors "created" this place so they could find eachother when they die. They do NOT go there when they die. They go there BECAUSE they die. Like it is said above. Ben and Hurley could have been on the island for thousands of years, but because at some point they died, they are in "purgatory".

I do have to admit tho, i am alittle disapointed that The writers did not explain some of the questions, but if you think about it. Do you really think they would have given us everything. They did that on purpose, so people like us would talk and discuss what we watched. And may I remind you, The last episode of a show does not make the show great. It is everything put togeather. The writers did not want people to remember only the last episode, they wanted people to remember the whole story as a whole. I know i will, they did this perfect.

And for all you people out there that watched lost only for the Science Fiction, you did not really understand the deeper meaning behind Lost. And i understand why you are upset, just put that aside for a second and think of the amazing story that just ended as a whole. And not just about the "not so perfect" ending.

watched the last episode a couple of days ago and felt a little confused and disappointed with the last 10 minutes
never read anything on the internet about the series until reading this excellent blog

after watching the final episode again the ending is what you want it to be (happy or sad)
who says the light at the end doesn't lead them back onto the plane before the plane crash, the power of the island

watched nearly every episode twice, once stoned and once sober, i have to admit the former is better, hurley planning to rewrite the empire strikes back being one of many 'high' lights

lent the first series out to many people over the years and am sad that it has ended, but all good things eventually come to an end

Appreciate the discussion (although having a time getting through it all.)

I'm with SanFran Mike. Didn't see this particular idea yet in reading the thread, but here's the thing, whatever the producers say: I just think it plays better to read the whole series as a shared 'Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,' (i.e. they're all already dead,) than that Jack somehow goes through all that growing, changing, 'letting go' throughout the series, then defeats the bad guy, saves the island, basks in a pool of water and light, apparently in sheer joy, then dies and can't move on... *again*.

I know season 6 played out with the 'flash sideways'/purgatory being revealed to us in tandem with the main story, but remember the premise of the finale is that actually all that 'sideways' stuff happens *after* the characters die. I just don't see Jack being the victorious hero, smiling in a bamboo field one second, and then being basically right back where he started again the next (as a spirit in limbo.)

So I know maybe the writers didn't (fully) intend it, but I'd rather stitch together the possibility that everyone really died in the crash, than the alternative. Wasn't the whole point of the hero's journey to let go? Then why have to do it twice?

I think the only logical and scientific answer to unanswered questions of LOST is that the island is a time traveling "ship" created far in the future that has traveled far into the past. The "black smoke" and the role of Jacob could be technologies from this distant future that are part of the island and possibly set in place in case it malfunctioned or was corrupted. I think this explanation would have wrapped up all of the unanswered questions.

Wow, where to start? I crawled out from under a rock and just watched all 6 seasons of Lost. It is extraordinary. This debate about unanswered questions reminds me of another masterpiece: Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, if you look on the internet for all the hidden meaning theories posted about that film, you will see it is more disputed than Lost. Example, why was Jack in the photo at the end, was he always at the Overlook? In that case, the director planted these seeds of ambiguity purposely, in the case of Lost, I think it is the result of a 6 year project, in TV, producers and writers never know for sure if they will get to the next season, so I think many of these unanswered mysteries happened because of the nature of TV. It is mind bending and fun to ponder what it all meant. I have my own sticking points and theories.

I think that the light and the electromagnetism is the lifeforce of our universe. Think about the theory of the 2012 Doomsday, one idea involves what would happen to the earth if the magnetic poles reversed or shifted off kilter? It would cause the destruction of the world.

One problem I have is that MIB didn't turn into a smoke monster and Jacob didn't create the smoke monster, because the smoke monster existed before as seen in the Egyptian hierogliphics in the temple, I think the smoke monster absorbs its victims' thoughts and feelings. Unless the temple painting shows something they saw that was coming in the future. Or unless the Eygptians were contemporaries of BIB and young Jacob...is that possible?

One question I have is who in the heck looked at Hurley out of the window of the cabin? Whose face was that, does anyone have any ideas? Could it have been Horace's since he built it?

Another big one is, if the smoke monster can't travel over water, how did it get to Hydra Island to help free Sawyer and Kate from the cages?'

An observation I've had is that the issue of being raised by biological parents is a reason why many of the characters had problems: Kate, Claire, Sawyer, Ben, Jacob & BIB, Walt, John Locke, Jin, Daniel, Mr. Echo, Hurley and others. Of course, some of the characters were raised by their biological parents, the most obvious being Jack! We don't know the status of this with many other characters.

I have many other questions and comments which I may write at a later time.

I'm not angry with the way the series ended , I'm grateful that I could watch this wonderful series, it does leave lots to think about, and it is fun to read others' theories. BTW, the best one is on Lostpedia about Hurley, that he really was one of the Others, I laughed so hard when I read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of you people crack me up with hating this show. This was a great show, and had a creat ending. Either you read too much into the show or not enough.

Everyone was dead: That is FALSE and they explained it to you in the end. The island was real, and as all scifi things go, you cant explain everything that goes on in a special place like the island. the island had electomagnetic properties that for people who hadnt been on the island, would cure them, but for people who were all ready on the island, and use to the elctros, were immune to the healing properties, thats why Rose and Locke were cured and not Ben or the pregnant women.

Dharma innitive: it was a real group, who had found the island, just like others who had crashed there before. They were trying to harvest the energies of the island, just like the people that were with the MIB trying to do. The Dharma people brought the polar bears and other things for experiments, that is why they were there, when Ben had them all killed, thats how they were freed and on the island.

Jacob: He was the protector of the island, and being the protector of the island, he created the rules to govern the island, thats why people were not allowed to leave the island, thats why MIB wasnt allowed to leave the island.

Pergatory: The island wasnt pergatory. They were alive on the island and Jacob brought them there to find one out of them to become the new protector. Alll the characters died at different times in life, the flash sideways wasnt if the plane never crashed, but what the characters crwated for themselves until all of them were ready to come to turns with their deaths and move on to the next life. Christian Shepard told us that in the finale. They all needed each other in order to accept what had happen to them, and some died before Jack and some long after he did.

Well im done ranting but I LOVED this show and couldnt ask for a better ending, but atlas its just a show so why get upset over a show just because it didnt turn out like YOU wanted it to

As I've said it before, when we write our own shows, they'll end the way we want them to. And no show, no thing is the same to all people. For those who did or didn't enjoy the show and/or it's ending, you don't have to get over it, that's your right to that opinion of yours. Nobody should have their opinion stripped from them, no matter what the others think.

That said, I 1. feel the show did pepper a lot of answers along the way, but 2. presented an answer that fell into the man of faith category where I was intrigued by the mysteries of the man of science side, and 3 presented a weak confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist. I wanted a Flocke transformation into smokey and Jack becoming whatever pitted against, not middle age man vs senior citizen and a backshot from love lorne Calamity Jane. I did enjoy the emotional impact of what was revealed to be the reunion awakenings to their true outcomes.

For me, this makes the series one that I do not have to rewatch, because of its longform story, the answer to the puzzle, and the mixed feelings with a leaning towards disappointment. More so than Battlestar Galactica, I can not see myself watching this show again the way it ended, but I'm glad so many did enjoy it. It's our right to feel these ways. Right?

I personally loved the way the show ended and i do not believe that they all died in flight 815. I read a comment saying that the flash sideways were what would have been if the plane wouldnt have crashed but i dont think they were. I think they were flash forwards of what was going to be. Obvioulsy the ending makes that clear, because they all end up coming together and leaving purgatory together. They all lived on the island, went through everything together, left, then came back three years later to 1975, the hydrogen bomb blew them back to the present, then they began to discover everything about jacob and their true purpose on the island as candidates. I know people have wondered what about jacks son and every one else in purgatory (aka the flash sideways) but they never really existed. Yes, everyone in the show dies at different times but they all end up in purgatory together and they start out with very vague memorys but then began to create their own lives. Jacks son never existed anywhere else but in purgatory. all in all i thought it was really cool how the show began with jack opening his eye and then ended with jack closing his eye.

Somebody essentially help to make seriously articles I'd state. This is the first time I frequented your web page and thus far? I surprised with the research you made to create this particular submit incredible. Wonderful job!

I'm really inspired along with your writing skills and also with the layout to your weblog. Is that this a paid subject matter or did you customize it your self? Either way keep up the nice high quality writing, it's rare to peer a great blog like this one these days..

Jacob, I agree with you completely. This show was about the characters. To me, this is one of the greatest written shows ever in the history of television. The ending made complete sense to me on many levels, including the way the writers intended us to keep talking about the show after it ended. I am not sure I even like the additional 12 minutes on the Blue Ray that shows Hurly and Ben getting Walt.

Just wish to say your article is as amazing. The clearness on your submit is just excellent and that i can think you're knowledgeable in this subject. Well along with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to stay updated with forthcoming post. Thanks one million and please continue the rewarding work.

I believe that Jack didn't die in the finale episode. He probably just passed out from the loss of blood. Then most likely Rose and Bernard find him becuase they were probably looking for Vincent and nurse him back to health. Then Jack and Desmond leave the island for good on Desmonds boat. The whole purgatory thing in the finale could of been just a dream or another story...

Different varieties of oolong are processed differently, but the leaves are formed into one of two distinct styles. Some are rolled into long curly leaves, while others are 'wrap-curled' into small beads, each with a tail. The former style is the more traditional of the two in China.,"-'

View the most interesting post on our own blog <http://www.healthmedicine.co/

Well, If you believe in what you write here, lets agree for an IMPARTIAL INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION as a sane person rather than BIASED BASHING on the Freedom Fighters Tamil Tigers wothout blaming the racist Srilanka who did the Genocide and deny access to any Independent media let alone an independent investigation.

I do accept as true with all of the ideas you have offered to your post. They're very convincing and can definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are too brief for beginners. May you please prolong them a little from next time? Thank you for the post.

The reason Jacob made up the rules that he did is because of the rules that the "monster" made as a kid for the game he found on the beach. When him and Jacob were playing the game Jacob said that the "monster" made up the rules, so the "monster" said that one day Jacob would be able to make up his own rules.

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.

Are you a gadgethead? Do you spend hours a day online? Or are you just curious about how technology impacts your life? In this digital age, it's increasingly important to be fluent, or at least familiar, with the big tech trends. From gadgets to Google, smartphones to social media, this blog will help keep you informed.